The Damsel's Dragon
by secretPersonalities
Summary: Levy McGarden had been working on an assignment as a mage's apprentice, but she got in an accident. As a result, she made a major discovery: there was a DRAGON living in the forest! Now that she knows, how far will she go to keep her secret friend?
1. Chapter 1

Our story begins in a small village known as Magnolia. It was a quaint, peaceful place surrounded by forest. Despite appearances, it served as the home to many people, including some powerful wizards.

The use of magic was actually quite common for the villagers. They would seek out the local mages for a spell to assist with daily living. Others would turn to wizards as a source of protection from invaders. Once in a blue moon, the mages would even receive requests from other towns and villages.

With the various requests and needs of the village, one mage was given the responsibility to oversee and organize the work of the locals: Makarov Dreyar. From a first glance, he appeared to be a simple old man, shrunken in size and not afraid of abundant alcohol consumption. Yet he was known to be one of the most powerful wizards in the region.

He set up a headquarters within the village: a little shop for selling potions and magical items. There, he worked daily with his young apprentice, Levy McGarden, a young woman with messy blue hair tied back with a headband and chocolate brown eyes. Wearing a simple white blouse, brown skirt and white apron, she scurried around the shop, organizing and assisting customers wherever needed. On certain days, she would receive a job from her master. One task in particular would serve to change her life forever.

"Levy! I have another job for you."

The apprentice hurried to her teacher's side. "What is it, Master?"

The short old man handed her a small paper. "Here's a list of the herbs I need for future projects. I trust you know where to find them."

"Absolutely, Master. I'll get these and be back in no time at all!"

Makarov couldn't resist smiling at his cute apprentice. She had always been excited to take on jobs that required her to leave the village. That girl spent most of her free time with her nose buried in a book, leaving the outside world to the imagination. It was good for her to get out once in a while, but he was rather protective of her as well.

Makarov turned to his grandson, Laxus, who was currently sitting leisurely in a chair along the wall with his arms folded across his chest. He would spend most of his time in the shop, but he rarely took a job unless he was thoroughly intrigued with the task or the reward.

"Laxus, why don't you get off that lazy bum and go with her?"

The large man with blonde hair and a lightning shaped scar on his face looked at the old man from his spot; the expression on his face revealed a great deal of displeasure.

"Are you kidding, Gramps? There's no way I'm going flower-picking with this brat!"

Levy was secretly on Laxus' side. The man's company wasn't exactly pleasant in her book. But Master Makarov would have none of that.

"LAXUS! YOU WILL ESCORT MISS MCGARDEN! AND THAT'S AN ORDER!"

Laxus rolled his eyes, but he knew better than to push his luck. Reluctantly, he rose from his chair and walked past Levy. The girl gave a quick bow to her master before following Laxus out the door.

The two walked through the streets in silence. Laxus kept looking straight ahead while Levy tailed after him. They had just about reached the outskirts of the village when Laxus stopped her. "Now, look, kid. I don't really care what that old man says; I don't have time to babysit you. You're on your own."

Levy raised an eyebrow. Obviously, his words were not matching his actions. "Strange. If you don't care what the master says, then why escort me this far? You could have refused back at the shop."

The man towered above her, trying to intimidate her so she'd back off. His efforts were in vain, seeing as the girl did not falter. Laxus had only managed to prove to Levy that she was right on the mark.

"Shut up, brat! Just get those damn herbs that Gramps ordered!"

Levy watched as Laxus stormed back to the village. She rolled her eyes. _'He's probably going to avoid the master and head to the tavern instead.'_

Like Master Makarov, Laxus had a habit of drinking to pass the time. He was especially fond of the hostess at the village tavern, Mirajane Strauss. The jerk would flirt with her any chance he got, despite the numerous rejections she gave him. _'Poor Mira; her stalker is returning.'_

* * *

Levy walked through the woods alone, humming to herself. She had always been fond of the forest; there just wasn't much time for her to explore anymore. As a child, she normally wandered off and enjoyed nature to the fullest. However, her parents were concerned about her safety as well as her future, so they insisted that she find a job. They set up an interview for the opportunity to be the head mage's apprentice. Master Makarov had quite the reputation, and though the village had many mages within it, no one had yet to overpower him. He had been searching for a wizard to serve as his apprentice, since his grandson had more interest in magic for combat than assisting the people. Many had tried to apply, but he had turned every one of them away.

By some miracle, he had accepted Levy.

Now that she was serving as an apprentice, she was often busy assisting the master or taking on the jobs he assigned her, like gathering herbs and ingredients, decoding ancient text, or researching a spell. Of course, she could still squeeze in enough time to crack open a good book or two.

Pulling out the list from her bag, Levy ran through the locations of each requested herb. She was familiar enough with the forest as well as herbalism books to know the general areas where each herb could be found. Most of them were fairly common and could be found in the wild grass. It took little to no time at all to track them down and place the amounts she needed in her bag.

' _Let's see… next is…'_

"Next" was a different story. Master wanted her to bring back a rare flower known for magical potency. A client was in need of a spell to cure an ill child, who was near death. The disease was unknown, and the doctors found the case incurable. The desperate parent decided to turn to magic.

Finding this flower would not be a meager task; Levy would have to travel further into the woods, territory that was rarely plodded. The other problem was this flower normally grew on higher ground along a bluff. With the girl's stature, high places weren't always…accessible to her.

After walking a ways, she finally spotted it: a lone shrub with the unique flower sticking out of it. Unfortunately, it was on the other side of a river; judging by the level and the roughness of the waves, wading or swimming would not be in her best interest.

' _Okay, Levy, think! How can I reach that plant?_ '

She scanned the terrain with her eyes. There was a tree with a branch that went across the river. If luck was on her side, she could reach the plant from that branch. If not…

Levy didn't have time to think of the what-ifs. All that mattered was getting that flower.

With her mind made up, she adjusted her bag and began to climb the tree. Making it to the branch was no problem; neither was crawling along the branch. The problem was the branch itself; it wasn't close enough to the plant for her to reach it.

Levy once again found herself cursing her poor height. The flower she needed was in her sight, but it was too far away! She looked down at the rough waters below and gulped. Now was not the time to be a damsel! Master Makarov was counting on her! Levy's eyebrows furrowed as she stretched her body to its limit.

' _Almost there. Come on…'_

Suddenly there was a snapping sound, and before she knew it, she was falling! Levy screamed as she landed roughly on the slope of the bluff, tumbling her way down. She was unable to stop herself from rolling right into the river!

The wind was knocked out of her as she broke through the water. Levy tried to swim to the surface, but the strong current was making it difficult! She finally managed to break through, and she franticly looked around her for something to hold on to. There was nothing in her reach, and the current was sweeping her away! The little mage continued her battle with the rapids: a battle she was swiftly losing.

' _Why did I ever think I could handle this myself?_ ' she bitterly thought to herself.

Levy was exhausted, and her body was beginning to give out. Her vision blurred as she began to sink below the water.

' _Is this it for me? Am I going to die?'_

Just as she was about to lose hope, a large hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her arm. Levy's body was limp as it was lifted out of the water. The hand pulled until she was sprawled on the ground. Everything was still blurry in her vision as she panted for air. Before everything went black, she vaguely caught the silhouette of a large man with a thick mane of hair.


	2. Chapter 2

Laxus Dreyar shuffled through the streets of Magnolia. He was a bit intoxicated, but it was all Mira's fault! No matter how many times he asked, she kept turning him down. So, naturally, he chose to drown his sorrows.

' _How can she resist the most powerful mage in the world?!'_ he thought. People may have said his grandfather was the best, but he just needed a chance to prove himself. Then they'd see!

Eventually, the man stumbled his way back to his grandfather's shop; it was getting late, but the old man always expected him to check in. _'If that brat knows what's good for her, she should've told Gramps that I went out after getting back from the woods.'_

Laxus moved to open the door and was greeted by a harsh smack on the back of his head!

"Geez, Gramps, what was that for?!"

The small man looked up at his grandson, waving a paper fan in his hand. Laxus blinked. _'Is that what he hit me with? Didn't feel like it!'_

"And just where have you been?! How dare you allow a young girl to wander in the dead of night! And where is Levy?!"

"Huh? You mean she didn't come back?"

The old man was shocked by the comment. Then the pure fury became evident on his face. "You were supposed to be watching her. How is it, then, that you don't know where she is?" he growled.

Laxus kept his face indifferent as he shrugged. "She went off on her own."

Makarov hit Laxus with the fan again! "AND YOU _LET_ HER?!"

The old man sat on the counter as Laxus continued to piss and moan about "old men," a "blue-haired brat," and "damn fans." He sighed as he tried to compose himself. Levy was gone for too long, causing him to believe something had happened to the girl.

' _Levy can take care of herself. I need to trust her abilities.'_

He decided to have faith in his apprentice, but it didn't hurt to pray for her safe return. "Please. Be safe, my child."

* * *

There was nothing but darkness. Levy felt nothing; there was no pain from her fall or from nearly drowning.

' _Am I dead?'_ she wondered to herself.

At that moment, she had considered the possibility, but a faint sound disproved her theory. It was the crackling of a burning fire.

' _Fire? I was being washed down a river! How can there be a—'_

Memories immediately began to flood back; Levy recalled someone pulling her out of the river. She never got a clear view of her rescuer's face: only a shadow. Just who was it that saved her?

Though unconscious, Levy's curiosity was getting the best of her. Despite the fact that her body needed rest, she did her best to force her eyelids to open. Her vision was blurry at first; she could only make out the shadows and light from the fire. When it came into focus, she was able to take in her surroundings.

As far as she could tell, she was nowhere near the river. Instead, she was lying in the mouth of a cavern. Levy felt the ground beneath her and discovered a bed of dried grass. Whoever saved her must have made the bed as well as the fire. The flames were burning strong, meaning that someone had to be nearby; if she had been abandoned, wouldn't the fire have died down at some point?

Levy found her bag next to her makeshift bed. She grabbed it and opened the flap; thankfully, the herbs were still there. Yet oddly enough, she also spotted the flower she had tried to pick! Were these the same herbs she had collected, or did someone recollect them for her? This mystery was getting more and more complicated. _'First things first, I need to find out where I am.'_

Summoning the strength to stand, Levy ventured outside the cavern. She was still somewhere in the forest, though she wasn't familiar with this area. The sky was dark, meaning that she must have been out for a few hours at least. _'I'd give anything for a clock right now. Just how late is it? Master's probably losing his mind with worry.'_

The task she had been assigned was not supposed to be difficult. Yes, he had assigned Laxus to be her escort, but that was just a precaution against bandits or beasts. Levy imagined the look on Master Makarov's face when he'd discover that Laxus had left her at the very start.

' _It'd be like a scene from a nightmare…'_

Levy cringed at the thought. Yet part of her felt that Laxus somewhat deserved a good scolding.

The young mage took another look at the night sky. _'There's no way I can make it back tonight; traveling in the dark alone would be too risky. Besides, a shelter has already been prepared, so I can show my gratitude by putting it to use. Someone worked hard to set this up for me, so it'd be a shame to simply abandon it.'_

Levy made her way back into the cavern; she was already beginning to miss the warmth of the fire. Taking a seat on the grass bed, Levy held her hands out to the source of heat. Thankfully, the season wasn't too cold, so there was hope she wouldn't get sick, even after resting in damp clothes. Still, a blanket would have been nice.

The cool night breeze began to blow into the cavern, causing the girl to shiver a bit. Perhaps she could explore deeper in the cave? At the very least, she could avoid the wind. But she would abandon the fire…

' _Just a peek. If it's not much better, I'll come back.'_

Levy grabbed one of the branches from the fire to serve as a torch then slowly walked forward. She held the torch up and turned back and forth, observing every nook and cranny. It really was fascinating; she had never been inside an underground tunnel or cave. Naturally, her brain was taking everything in. Oddly enough, she was finding the rock formations to be…

' _Incredible.'_

As she continued to dance around the rocks, she began to walk backwards. Her mouth was slightly agape as she looked around her. She pressed on until her back collided with something solid!

' _I guess I reached the end of the cavern.'_

But something was off; whatever was behind her did not feel like rock. Cavern walls were normally rough and jagged, but this felt… smooth.

Levy moved off the object and whirled around; she could not believe her eyes! The torch revealed something large and silver. On closer inspection, the thing was made up of silver plates, almost like scales. As she moved the torch along the object, gathering its immense size, her eyes caught how the scales seemed to rise and fall. Whatever she was looking at, it was breathing!

Now, most people would have the sense to escape as soon as they discovered a giant beast, but Levy wasn't like most people. Her curiosity and sense of discovery outweighed normal human logic. Instead of darting out of the cave for safety, she simply continued her investigation.

The light revealed that the creature wasn't blocking the entire tunnel; there was a small opening on one side. Did she dare to climb on this thing? At that moment, she dared.

She placed a hand on the thing's body and raised her knee to begin her climb. But as her knee made contact with the cool scales, the body began to shift! Levy jumped back as a head of the beast appeared from the other side; mesmerizing ruby eyes stared back at her.

The mage froze as the beast continued to watch her. Neither being moved an inch. Now that the creature had turned around to face her, Levy caught sight of a long tail as well as four legs with claws. On the beast's sides, she swore she saw what appeared to be folded wings. She couldn't help but gasp; she was inside a dragon's den!

The entire scenario was unbelievable! She had only read of dragons in books; most people believed them to be creatures of myth. Yet here was one, right before her very eyes.

Levy didn't flinch as the dragon's head moved in closer. It reminded her of how Laxus used intimidation to get his way; due to experience, the girl wasn't swayed in the slightest. Instead, she offered an apologetic smile.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Did I wake you?"

The dragon seemed startled by her comment. Levy supposed the creature would expect the fight or flight instinct to kick in, so striking conversation was not the response it had anticipated.

"I didn't mean to impose," she continued. "You see, someone left me here while I was unconscious."

The dragon stared at her for a second, but then the head turned away, now ignoring her presence. Levy moved in closer.

"You know, I never thought I would actually meet a dragon! And I must say, you're more incredible than I could have ever imagined!"

The beast began to fidget, then tucked it's head further away from the girl, but she persisted by leaning against his neck.

"I was hoping you'd be so kind as to let me stay? I'll leave for my village in the morning, I promise."

The dragon's ruby eye looked back at her, then looked away. But it made no move to attack or chase her away. _'Is it possible that it understands me?'_

Levy took the act of indifference as permission. She remembered the fire she had left behind, but with that breeze, there was a good chance the flame would be out soon. But with the walls shielding her from the outside as well as the warm presence, she opted to rest right where she was at.

Suddenly, Levy remembered her bag. How could she forget about her magic?! She scurried back to the entrance to retrieve it then returned in a flash. The dragon was exactly the way she left it: resting with its back turned to her.

She pulled out a pen from her bag; this pen was actually a magical item that assisted with her specific type of magic. Levy had the power to write a word, and that word would materialize into its meaning. With her item, she wrote the word "BLANKET," and the letters pressed together to form a rectangle. With a puff, the lines of the letters disappeared, leaving a simple gray blanket.

Levy got settled against the dragon's side, wrapping the blanket around her. She slept sitting up, but her back was pressed against the warm dragon. The beast flinched, and its head whirled around to glare at her. But the girl was already dead to the world. With a huff, the dragon's head returned to its original position, trying to ignore the tiny human snuggling against it.


	3. Chapter 3

At the break of dawn, Levy had to keep her promise. The dragon turned out to be rather pushy; the thing had practically shoved her out of the cave! Yet unbeknownst to the dragon, Levy was mapping the location of the cavern from the village as she traveled back. There was no way she was going to leave this discovery alone!

When she finally returned to the village, she made sure to head straight for Makarov's shop. A wailing old man with tears streaming down his cheeks greeted the girl; he was apparently thankful that his cute apprentice was safe. To her relief, Laxus was nowhere in sight.

Makarov asked about her mission; with a sheepish smile, she gave him the herbs and explained that she had fallen into the river. Of course, the man went ballistic, searching her for wounds or signs of illness. Thankfully, he never asked about how she got out of that mess; she had no decent explanation. She herself had no idea who saved her or how she ended up in a cave.

As the old man continued to fuss over her, Levy decided that perhaps it would not be in her best interest to mention the dragon's den: he'd probably forbid her from entering the forest ever again!

There was one person, though, that Levy knew she could share this information with: her best friend, Lucy Heartfilia. She was the daughter of a merchant family and was rather wealthy, too. But that didn't matter to her. She was, like Levy, more interested in books and adventure.

Levy waited until Makarov had finally calmed down. Then, she asked for some time to get cleaned up and rest a bit; naturally, the concerned man complied. But instead of returning to her home, she went straight to the Heartfilia residence.

* * *

"Wait, wait, wait, wait! Can you hear yourself, Levy? Don't you know how crazy it sounds?"

"You've got to trust me, Lulu! I assure you, it really happened!"

Levy's blonde, busty friend really couldn't believe her ears. Her best friend randomly shows up at her home claiming to have discovered a genuine dragon, straight out of a storybook. How could she expect her to believe it so easily? She narrowed her eyes.

"So, let me get this straight. You randomly woke up in some cave, which happened to have a dragon inside? And you lived to tell the tale?"

"That's the strange part," Levy admitted as she folded her arms in thought. "I mean, it was irritable and a bit hostile, but it never harmed me. I may have gotten a bit carried away when I first found it, but it accepted me, Lulu. I really think it understood me."

Lucy's eyes brimmed with concern. "Levy, do you want me to send for a doctor? Or maybe we can talk to Makarov and see what he says."

"No! Makarov can't know. Besides, what if Laxus hears? You know what his first thought would be!"

The heiress smirked and puffed her chest, trying to imitate the large man. "I'm gonna get me a dragon skin and present it to my Mirajane!"

Levy couldn't help but laugh at the horrible but verbally accurate impersonation. Lucy knew very well how the blue-haired mage felt about her teacher's grandson. Being referred to as "brat" on a regular basis along with his major ego didn't leave a positive impression.

"Okay, so no telling either Dreyar. What are you planning to do?"

Levy held her chin as she thought. "Well, I think I'll go back. I want to really study that dragon!"

Lucy looked mortified before she managed to shout, "Levy McGarden, you are positively insane!"

The blue-haired mage grasped her best friend's hands. "Promise me, Lucy. This is between us."

Lucy sighed in defeat. "Fine. I promise," she muttered. "Just be careful."

* * *

The next day, Levy went back to work as Master Makarov's apprentice. Unfortunately, he had chosen to keep a very close eye on her for the time being. Levy was beginning to think she'd never get the chance to slip away. Then, as luck would have it, a client came in and urged the man to leave the shop.

"No, no, I can't just up and leave my apprentice alone! I need to be here where I am needed."

But the client began to whisper in the old man's ear. Makarov then began to blush with a sleazy grin. Levy had three guesses what was involved: booze, broads, or both. Those were, after all, Makarov's weakness; the old man simply couldn't refuse a good time. Without a moment to spare, the two were out the door. Levy took the opportunity to close shop. She hurriedly packed a basket, left a note for the master, and grabbed her shawl before dashing out the door.

* * *

With the map she had created, Levy wandered through the forest, trying to relocate the dragon's den. The basket she had prepared had various foods and tools she could use; she had decided that she could care for the dragon while studying it. Unfortunately, she had no idea what a dragon needed, so she had to guess.

The journey wouldn't be easy; Levy already knew from experience. The den was well hidden, as if the beast had no desire to be discovered. Also, it was rather deep into the woods, making the trip long as well as tedious, with the bluffs to tread, the rushing river to cross, and some large tree roots to climb through. But Levy was determined to meet the creature again.

Needless to say, it was a different story for the dragon.

When she first arrived at the cave, it wasn't there. Levy had almost panicked, until she heard the sound of flapping wings. Suddenly she felt a harsh wind, so she had to brace herself before she blew away.

Once the mini hurricane ceased, she dared to peek one eye open. The creature was currently glowering down at her. One look into those burning ruby eyes could send anyone running: anyone except Levy. There was no way to explain it, but she knew better. Somehow, someway, she knew it wouldn't actually hurt her. It was just trying to scare her away, most likely for privacy. Because, of course, this enormous, fire-breathing giant with dangerously sharp teeth and claws would never be afraid of a tiny human like her. Still, upsetting a dragon did not seem like the brightest of ideas.

Without hesitation, she held up the basket.

"Wait a second, big guy! I brought you something to eat!"

The mention of food seemed to halt the beast. It eyed her curiously, moving its gaze between her and the basket. Levy used the pause to place the basket down and pull the items she had packed.

In truth, she had no idea what dragons ate. Her logic told her that her best bet was to rely on foods that can be found in the wild. One by one, she brought out various plants, fruits, and nuts.

The dragon looked disgusted.

Next, she pulled out some dried meat. Same reaction.

She had no luck with her bread, either, though that was more of a desperate attempt. There really was no winning with this dragon.

' _So, if it won't eat the foods I brought, maybe it prefers something else found in the wild?'_

Levy thought back to the river: maybe she could catch some fish.

Excited by her new idea, she ran in the direction of the river, where the water was quiet. Surprisingly, the dragon followed her.

* * *

Upon arrival, the girl proceeded to remove her footwear and tie up her skirt. The dragon tilted its head as it watched her, either fascinated or confused. It observed silently as Levy stepped into the water and held her hands out. Her eyes scanned the water, waiting for her prey. At last, a fish was in sight. As silently as she could, she positioned herself, waiting for the proper moment. Then abruptly, her hands shot out to grab it. Water splashed about, forcing her to close her eyes. She could feel the slippery scales for but a moment…before it squirmed right out of her hands. Levy stared at her empty hands in disappointment.

Her sorrow was short lived as her ears caught a huffing sound. Apparently, the dragon found this amusing. With red cheeks, she glared at it.

"Shut up! Let's see you do better!"

Levy seemed to forget what she was talking to. Nonchalantly, the dragon moved over to the river. It stared at the water for a moment. In a flash, it swiped its claw at the water, splashing Levy's face in the process. She was about to complain, but then she spotted the fish flopping on the shore. Knowing she had been outdone, she glared at the dragon.

"Show off."

The beast simply huffed, which must have been a laugh. Apparently this dragon had an arrogant personality.

Doing her best to ignore the (probably) smirking dragon, she reached down and grabbed the fish by the tail. She held it up to the dragon. "So, raw or cooked?"

To her surprise, it backed off in disgust! Levy was left gaping in unbelief.

" _Seriously?_ You don't like fish, either?"

The dragon snorted back at her, as if that should've been obvious.

Frustrated with the picky eater, Levy huffed before digging out her pen. The dragon may not want it, but there's no sense in wasting a good fish. If it won't eat, then she would.

Levy quickly wrote the words "FRYING PAN," and the words merged into the object. The dragon stared at the pan with a strange look in its eye, but the little mage ignored it. Instead, she gathered some wood to start a fire.

Once the flames were big enough, she reached for the frying pan; her hand grasped nothing but air! Confused, she looked over to where she had left the pan; it wasn't there now.

A crunching sound brought her attention back to the dragon. It was _eating_ the frying pan!

"Hey!" Levy cried as she leapt to her feet. She ran to the dragon and grabbed at the handle sticking out of his mouth. A futile effort, she realized, since the beast had already eaten at least half the pan!

"I was going to use that!" She growled at the giant. The beast turned his head away, avoiding eye contact with the little human. But shortly, it began making a hacking sound from its throat.

"Not necessary!" Levy cried out in alarm. She had no desire to see what had become of the digesting metal!

Wait… metal?

"Is… that what you eat? Metal?"

The dragon carefully looked at her for a moment before shaking its head.

"No? But you ate the frying pan… so maybe a specific kind of metal?"

Levy stared at the handle she had managed to retrieve. "So… you eat iron?"

The dragon snorted again, which Levy could only assume was a "yes."

"Oh. Well, I don't really have any on me, but… let's try this."

With a wave of her pen, she wrote the word "IRON" in large letters. Before them, the letters solidified and molded together into a large block of iron. The dragon's pupils shrank for a moment before it cautiously sniffed the iron. When Levy spotted its tongue lick the word, she couldn't help but laugh. In a way, this dragon could be so cute!

"Don't be such a baby! It's real iron, I assure you."

The dragon looked back at her with what appeared to be a doubtful expression. Then it turned to glare at the metal before snapping its teeth on it. Levy watched as it slowly chewed her iron, making her wonder if it tasted like the real thing. There really was no way of knowing. But, low and behold, the dragon continued to dig in, so Levy figured the taste was acceptable at least.

"Alright, then. At least I know what to feed you now. Plus I won't have to carry so much next time," she stated with a smile.

The dragon froze at her comment. Its head shot up as it stared at her in confusion, but the girl was already creating a new pan to fry her fish. It observed her for a moment; then, it returned back to eating its iron with content.


	4. Chapter 4

Levy's routine had officially changed drastically. With her newfound secret, she couldn't deny that she wanted to return to her dragon friend on a regular basis. And so she did.

The apprentice almost begged for any sort of excuse to venture into the forest. It wasn't always easy; she didn't want to arouse any suspicion. Who knew what could happen if word got out that there was a dragon nearby? Levy refused to even think about it.

* * *

With her regular visits, even the dragon was beginning to give in. At least, Levy could tell it put up less resistance compared to when they first met. She still hadn't been burned to a crisp, so it should be okay, right?

Each time she came, she would use her magic to stock up on the dragon's iron supply. It was quite a glutton, she discovered, since no matter how many blocks she made, the supply would be nearly gone when she returned. Along with feeding it, she learned that the beast enjoyed a good polishing. Believe it or not, but when she began to rub the dragon's metal scales with a cloth, its body immediately relaxed.

Yet there were days when the dragon had no desire to be pampered. So, Levy would instead go about her own business in its company. She would be sure to bring books with her, which she often would read aloud. At times, she could swear the dragon would pay attention to her words.

One more activity she would do was practice her magic. Her specialty was the magic pen, of course, which she already had a knack for. But what could a pen do should danger arise? The Master often assured her that there was no need for her to be concerned with combat magic, but Levy was not entirely convinced. She desired to be strong enough to protect what was important to her. Making blankets and frying pans would not suffice in a difficult situation.

There was one thing Levy wanted to try: using her words to fight.

* * *

During one visit, she decided to experiment with a new word. She made her way through the forest, searching for a more open area with fewer trees in the way. Of course, the dragon stuck with her, though she could never explain why.

When she found a safe place, she pulled out her pen. The dragon watched with curious eyes as Levy wrote the word "FIRE." The letters grew and seemed to float towards the air: each letter burst into flames, creating a wall of fire. The mage grinned at her success, but that smile vanished as the flames flickered out. So, she could make a fire shield that would last but a moment. Not quite combat: more like defense.

Levy growled as she caught that familiar huffing noise: the dragon was laughing at her again. "Shut up! I'm doing the best I can!"

But the dragon ignored her comment. Instead, it took the moment to show off. It inhaled as it raised its head to the sky, then released a stream of flame.

' _I definitely wouldn't want to be on the other side of that…'_ Levy thought. If only her fire could do that…

The dragon smugly turned back to Levy, but it was surprised by what it saw. Normally, the human would retort or just get mad, which was amusing. But this time… she looked depressed. Not sure what was going on, it cautiously stepped closer, getting a better look at her face.

Levy truly felt defeated. It was only natural; her bright idea had ended in disappointment. She still had no idea how to use her magic for combat. She could defend, no problem, but the mage had no known way to attack. Magic energy wasn't limitless, and defense spells don't last forever.

' _I may never be up to the task. I'm just so small… and weak.'_

Levy hated feeling useless, and she knew she shouldn't think that way. But sometimes, it was hard to escape. More than anything, Levy wanted to help people. Yet if she ever failed, she tended to get into a depression such as this.

The dragon tilted its head as the human slumped to the ground. She sat on the grass with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her brown eyes were becoming moist, causing some alarm for the creature. Human emotion was one thing it had very little experience with. It had no idea what to do in this situation. So, it simply sat down, like a dog would, next to her, waiting for her to stop pouting.

But that took a great deal longer than anticipated. Levy remained in position, but the dragon's tail began to fidget. It looked at her then turned away again. Then, it tried to lie down for a nap, but it couldn't sleep. Its claws tapped the ground impatiently; the human still did not move.

Levy hadn't known how long she had sat there; time seemed to just stop. She only snapped out of it when something lifted her off the ground! The girl released a yelp as a tail wrapped around her torso, raising her into the air. It dropped her on something hard: ruby eyes stared at the girl as she realized she was on the dragon's back! The creature's head turned away as it slowly spread its wings.

"Wha- What are you…!"

Levy didn't get the chance to finish her question as the dragon took off! The mage had never moved so fast in her life! Her grip tightened, holding on for dear life!

It shot straight into the air, up into the clouds. At the desired altitude, though, the dragon spread the wings once again, slowing down considerably to a gentle glide. Levy dared to open one eye. As soon as she did, the view took her breath away! The sky was so blue, and the tree tops were so far away. It was like a beautiful painting!

The dragon flew over the forest, and Levy could see the various landscapes below. She saw the bluffs rise and fall; she saw the water of a lake sparkle in the sunlight. The daring dragon dove down low enough so they could feel the mist spray. Levy closed her eyes and smiled at the refreshing sensation. Not completely sure what she was doing, she actually let go of the creature! She lifted her arms out to either side, as if she were flying herself; the breeze flowed through the sleeves of her blouse, which made her smile wider. With no words to describe what she was feeling, all she could do was laugh with excitement.

A ruby eye peeked up at the human; her emotional state had improved greatly. Now it was time for some fun. The beast flashed a toothy, mischievous grin. Without warning, it shot straight up into the air, causing Levy to scream and cling to its neck! She squeezed her eyes shut as it barrel rolled on the way.

"Stop showing off! I get it! I get it! You're amazing, now stop!"

But the dragon wasn't done. It lurched, knocking Levy off of its back! She screamed as she began her fatal decent!

…At least, it would have been fatal. To Levy's relief and irritation, the beast was only messing with her; it had already swooped down and positioned itself below. The dragon caught the girl with ease, though she was far from impressed.

She sighed impatiently, "Alright, alright. Happy now, you big lug? I could've died!"

The dragon only made that infuriating huffing sound again. Levy's eyebrows furrowed, utterly annoyed by the prankster. Somehow, she managed to reposition herself; she looked the dragon in the eye.

"No more tricks. Got it?"

The creature rolled its eye, but followed her command. The rest of the ride was peaceful, and it continued until the sky became pink with the sunset.

They made their way back to the den, but Levy wasn't quite ready to return home. Rather, she had no desire to leave her dragon just yet.

Yes, she had just referred to it as "her" dragon, because it was. There was no doubt that some sort of bond had formed between the two. Not quite like master and pet, but more like the two had become close friends. And Levy loved every minute they spent together. She stared up at the sky, silently wishing they could stay like this forever.

* * *

The dragon looked down at the tiny human. She had fallen asleep again instead of going home. This human was really a pain in the neck; why did she keep bothering him? And why did he allow it?

The girl was bound to catch cold if she remained out in the open, but her small body would be hard to grab for a dragon, at least without injuring her. He had no choice but to use _that_ form. It hadn't been used since the day she washed down the river, but it had to be done.

Slowly, the iron scales began to shrink, and the dragon's form shifted. Now, it took on the form of a human man. He was fairly tall with a thick mane of black hair, and he was wearing a long black tunic, white pants and black combat boots. Iron studs and piercings adorned his body, as well as some battle scars along his toned arms. Even in human form, he had a menacing appearance.

Quietly, so as not to startle the girl, he picked her up and carried her into the cavern. As he laid her on her makeshift bed, which had remained from the time she had almost drowned, he held his breath when she suddenly stirred. Thankfully, she did not wake.

Carefully, the dragon-man pulled out her blanket and covered her. Once his work was complete, his gloved hand rested on her head.

"Just what am I gonna do with ya? Shrimpy human."


	5. Chapter 5

"Argh! Don't tell me I fell asleep!"

The dragon opened one eye as the shrimpy human packed her things in a flurry.

"Geez, I hadn't thought I'd stay all night! If I don't get back soon, Master is going to throw a fit for sure!"

Master? Just who was the human referring to? The dragon slowly raised its head as she finished packing her bag.

"And I'm sure Laxus will put his two cents in," she muttered. "Can't wait for _that_."

The dragon tilted its head at her sarcasm. Who was this "Laxus"?

She raised the strap of her bag over her shoulder… then dropped it as she remembered something!

"That's right! Can't forget about you, big guy."

In no time, Levy restocked the dragon's iron supply. Then, with a quick wave, the human darted into the woods.

There was no denying it. The dragon was becoming a bit curious about the human's daily life. Obviously there was more to it than being a dragon's companion. Perhaps some investigation was in order…

The dragon flashed that mischievous grin before its body began to shift once more.

* * *

' _Where is it?'_ Levy thought as she dug through her personal collection of books. Master Makarov had allowed her to keep a few on hand, though he made her promise to limit the amount. Some of them were for entertainment, while others served as references. At the moment, she was searching for her potions book so she could complete her latest project. Since she had shown up late, her punishment was some extra work. It wasn't necessarily hard; all she had to do was make some concoctions and powders as the customers ordered.

But she couldn't make anything without her reference book.

"What are you looking for, brat?"

Levy bit her lip as Laxus hovered over her. She knew he didn't really care; the man had to be up to something.

"If you must know, I'm looking for one of my books."

Laxus innocently raised an eyebrow, which told Levy he was _definitely_ scheming something. "It wouldn't happen to be that book right there, would it?"

Levy looked to where he pointed. "Right there" happened to be at the very top of the bookshelf. Neither she nor Master Makarov could reach that high so easily. She glared at him, knowing full well what he had done.

"Can't you find someone else to annoy?!"

The man shrugged. "Don't know what you're talking about."

Sighing, Levy walked past the man, who continued to grin at his brilliant prank. The mage noticed that her step stool was nowhere to be found. Her irritation worsened when she spotted her magic pen sticking out, meaning that it was resting on top of the book. She groaned, aware that Laxus must have taken them as a precaution. But she needed that book, so she tried to reach it. Unfortunately, her hand didn't even come close to her destination. This made the arrogant Laxus smirk.

"What's wrong, brat? Can't reach?"

A nerve popped on the girl's head in fury, but she held in her rage. Any sort of reaction would only serve to satisfy him. She stood on her toes and stretched her arm to its limit, ignoring the man's taunts.

Laxus laughed at her struggling. "Haha! So Little Miss Mage can't even reach a freaking book!"

Levy continued to ignore him, though his words were making her more stubborn by the second. After making fun of her height, she would only add fuel to the fire if she stopped to look for her step stool. And there was NO WAY she was going to ask Laxus of all people for help!

The large man stepped behind her, still chuckling at her antics. "Alright, alright. This is getting painful to watch. Step aside, brat."

"No, thanks," she growled. "I'm fine on my own."

Her statement only caused Laxus to laugh louder. "So I see! Well, brat, don't say I didn't offer. Later!"

With that, Laxus strolled out the door. _'I'd say the little fairy will beg for my help soon enough. I'll make her get on her knees!'_ The thought of Levy pleading to him made him smirk.

As he imagined what he'd make the brat do for him, he failed to notice the hooded figure watching him leave.

* * *

"Ugh! Stupid Laxus! I'll show him!"

Levy still hadn't given up her battle with the bookshelf. "Of all the books that jerk had to hide, why did he take _that_ one?"

If the man had taken one of her fiction novels, Levy could have lived with it for the time being. She had plenty more. But this one… this one she needed for her work.

' _Not to mention he stuck my pen up there! I can't even make my own stool or ladder!'_

She grit her teeth as she stretched some more. This would _not_ defeat her!

Suddenly, the chimes at the door rang, notifying Levy that someone had entered. Doubting that Laxus would return so quickly, she deduced it was a customer. "I'll be right with you!" she called from her spot.

"…What are ya doin'?"

Levy froze at the man's gruff voice. She didn't know any villagers who talked that way. Her eyes moved to the newcomer.

Before her stood a man with a tan, hooded cape. He was truly a large man: perhaps not as large as Laxus, but just as menacing, if not more. Levy noted the strange metal piercings on his face. Was this guy for real?

The man remained oblivious to her gaping. Instead, his red eyes moved to where she was reaching. "Did ya need that?"

Levy blushed, embarrassed about the situation he caught her in. Laxus seeing her like this was one thing, but the presence of a complete stranger was making things awkward.

"Umm…. Yes, I did, but I can always get it later. What can I—"

She didn't get the chance to finish; the man was behind her in a flash. His large hands grasped her waist and hoisted her into the air! The blush on Levy's cheeks deepened.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?! Put me down! Please!"

"Can ya reach now?"

The girl blinked, then looked back to the shelf. Her book and pen were right by her face!

Not wanting the awkward position to last longer than it had to, Levy quickly collected her things. "Thank you. I got them."

The man grunted and lowered the girl. Thankful to be on the ground again, she looked up at the man before her. His hood was now down, revealing his thick mane of black hair. Levy found it oddly familiar. _'Wait… could he be…?'_

The girl recalled the silhouette of her mysterious rescuer from the river. After comparing that with the man before her, it was certainly possible that he was the one...

Remembering herself, Levy coughed a bit before smiling brightly at the stranger. "Now then. How can I help you?"

"Help? What can a shrimp like you do?"

Levy was left shocked at his words. _'Did he just call me a shrimp?!'_

A peculiar laugh brought her out of her shock. "Gihihi!"

The mage's eyes narrowed, not knowing what was so amusing. She huffed and folded her arms, revealing her impatience. "Then what business do you have, here?"

The man shrugged as he looked around the shop. "I was just passin' by. What kind of place is this, anyway?"

"The town's magic headquarters. You must be new to the area to not know about it."

"…I guess you could say that."

Releasing a calming sigh, Levy put on her best service smile. "Well, this place is where wizards and mages come to purchase magical items or look for work. My master runs this shop, so if you're looking for a job, he's the one to talk to. Otherwise, if you need a spell, I can whip something up for you."

The man folded his arms. Now that he was here, he figured the man this girl referred to as "master" would be Makarov Dreyar. His skills were almost legendary; it made him want to meet the man face-to-face.

"So, where's this 'master' of yours?"

"Out. He had to assist a client, but he'll be back shortly."

"And he left this headquarters to a shrimpy girl? Not too bright, is he?"

Levy growled at his comment, officially despising the word "shrimp" more than "brat." She took back her previous thoughts; there was no way this stupid jerk was her hero!

The man only laughed again, ruffling her hair as he did so. "Gihihi! Relax, Shrimp, I'm just messin' with ya!"

"My name is not 'Shrimp'! It's Levy!"

"Yeah, well, you look like a shrimp to me."

A retort was on the tip of her tongue, but the chimes of the door called her attention.

"Oh. Welcome back, Master. Did everything go well?"

"Feh! It was a piece of cake!" the old man laughed. Levy smiled, but the man behind her was left gawking. This shriveled old man was supposed to be the most powerful wizard?!

Makarov made his way to the counter, his usual sitting spot. "Now then. Have you completed your duties, child?"

Levy bit her lip; it wasn't worth the effort to tattle on Laxus. "Just about, Master. I had some trouble locating one of my reference books, but I got it now."

The stranger glanced at Levy, but just when he opened his mouth to say something, she elbowed him in the gut!

"Oof!" the man grunted, though it wasn't painful. He was merely caught by surprise from her actions.

The girl proceeded to smile at her master. "I'll get back to work, then."

Levy made her way to the back, and Makrov turned to the unfamiliar presence. "And how may we assist you?"

The man smirked at the little man. "I came lookin' for work. I'm new around here, and I could use the cash. So if ya got anything heavy duty, I'll take it on."

Makarov smirked himself; he found this man's cocky attitude to be quite amusing. "What's your name, my boy?"

"Name's Gajeel. Gajeel Redfox."

"Well, Gajeel, I don't happen to have the kind of work you want at the moment. However, feel free to check in often. I'm sure we can find something for you."

Gajeel nodded in agreement, while Levy was horrified at the thought! She had heard everything, and she really didn't want another bully in her life!

"Geez, why does it have to be this way?" she muttered to herself, unaware that Gajeel could hear her as well.

"Gihihi!"


	6. Chapter 6

To Levy's dismay, the man called Gajeel made frequent appearances at the shop. In fact, he was almost there every day! It was the same routine every time: he'd barge in, greet her with that nickname she despised, and he'd wait around until the master gave him something to do. Most of the time he'd be doing the heavy lifting or making repairs in the village. He complained, of course, claiming that what he really wanted to do was fight. But if that was the case, Levy wondered, why did he stick to her like glue?

Perhaps she was being paranoid; she already knew the jerk enjoyed teasing her. Yet he'd pause in his work to converse with her, and if she ever had to leave the shop for a delivery, he would volunteer to go with, because he "had nothin' better to do."

"Oi, Shrimp."

A clonk on the head brought Levy out of her thoughts. She glared at Gajeel, who had just bumped her head with his fist. But her glare had no effect; he remained completely indifferent.

"Don't ya think you've done enough for one day?"

Levy blinked before she glanced at the clock. Just how did it get so late? She had been so lost in her work that she didn't pay attention to the time. Not that it was unusual; she often worked late if there was still more to do.

"Just leave the brat be. The more she does, the less we have to worry about."

A nerve popped on Levy's head at Laxus' statement. She was about to reply with a highly sarcastic remark, but Gajeel beat her to it.

"Well, gee. Maybe if _someone_ got off their ass once in a while, there wouldn't be so much work in the first place."

Laxus glared at the other man. Ever since Redfox started showing up, he was always getting on his nerves! At first, he had welcomed him, knowing that if Gajeel worked, he wouldn't be expected to help out as much. But now it felt like the metal head was constantly making him look bad!

"Shut up, Metal Face!" he shouted as he jumped up from his chair, knocking it down in the process. "Maybe I should grab a magnet and hold it to your head!"

The two men entered a glaring war, which made Levy sigh. She had definitely seen this coming. Those two could never hold a decent conversation. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she sighed.

' _Maybe it_ is _time to call it a night…'_

Discreetly, she grabbed her things and went out the door as the men still were distracted. Little did she realize that one of them had noticed her departure.

* * *

Levy stared up at the night sky as she walked through the streets. The atmosphere was so peaceful as the lamps along the road brought a warm glow. However, she couldn't appreciate it to the fullest as her mind was elsewhere.

' _It's been a while since I checked on that dragon. I bet I could slip away some time tomorrow.'_

She smiled at the thought, imagining her dragon's mock irritation at her presence.

From the shadows, a hand shot out, grabbing at the back of her collar! She yelped as the hand pulled at her blouse, and her feet left the ground. The girl desperately struggled against the hold until she heard a familiar voice.

"Oi."

Levy ceased her helpless wriggling and groaned in irritation. "What's the big idea, Gajeel?! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

The stupid jerk only laughed as she narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah, 'gihihi' or whatever," she sarcastically remarked. "Now put me down!"

Gajeel did as she ordered, but he grabbed her arm when she tried to stalk away. "And where do ya think your goin'?"

"I'm _trying_ to go home!"

Gajeel smirked at the girl's irritation, but it was brief. To Levy's surprise, he looked at her with all seriousness. "I ain't lettin' you walk around in the dead of night. A shrimp like you is nothin' but an easy target."

' _Again with the "shrimp".'_ Levy thought bitterly. Still, his actions were vaguely sweet, though completely out of character.

She pulled her arm out of his grasp, eyeing him suspiciously as she did so. "Since when did you become such a gentleman?"

"Shut up and start walkin'. I got places to be, ya know."

Levy rolled her eyes but continued to walk with the big lug in step beside her. They walked in silence, not really knowing what to say. Not until they reached her house. Gajeel noted that no lamps were lit.

"Where're your folks at? They can't be asleep already!"

Levy looked up at him with a sad smile. "Not here. I live alone."

Red eyes widened. "Say what? Why? You never said your parents were dead."

"They aren't. They live in another village; it's pretty far from here. I get a letter from them once in a while."

"Wait. I ain't gettin' it. If they live there, why are you here?"

Levy shrugged. "Work. My parents wanted me to find something 'more practical' to do with my life instead of exploring wilderness and reading books. So, I was sent to live here when Master accepted me as his apprentice. The rent is covered, so it's no big deal."

She really wasn't sure why she was telling Gajeel the details of her situation. He was not a major part of her life or anything; besides the Dreyars, who already knew, Lucy was the only one she had told until now.

Gajeel was giving her a long, hard look, one that almost made the mage uncomfortable. But he was not her father, so there was nothing he could do or say about it. Levy decided she wouldn't give him the chance to even try to protest. She turned and hastily entered her house, muttering a small, "Good night."

As she shut the door, Gajeel was left alone on the street that suddenly seemed empty.

* * *

"Really, I can't believe that guy!" Levy whined to her dragon. She couldn't help it; Gajeel was really getting on her nerves.

The last thing she had wanted to see when she got up that morning was Gajeel standing outside her door! The jerk only laughed at her when she shouted at him, accusing him of being a stalker. Yet he easily brushed off her accusation, saying that Makarov wanted to see her and asked him to escort her.

When the two arrived at the headquarters, Makarov immediately told her to take the day off. He said he was aware that she was pushing herself to her limit for the last couple of days. Levy had a sneaking suspicion Gajeel had told on her. Why did he find it necessary to meddle in her affairs?!

She had made sure to bow to her master and express her gratitude before heading out to the forest.

The dragon was mentally smirking to himself. It was sort of amusing to hear the tiny human talk about him, though she didn't realize it. She had no idea that he had managed to beat her to the den. The moment she left the shop for her day off, he knew where she was going.

It was exactly as he had anticipated; she had seemed down and overworked, so he went to the headquarters early that morning and told Makarov about her with a tiny touch of exaggeration. Yeah, she had been working hard, but he wanted to be absolutely sure Makarov would give her some time off.

He brought his attention back to the girl, who was still complaining about "stupid Laxus" and "that jerk Gajeel."

"Though I have to hand it to him, Gajeel really knows how to put Laxus in his place. You should hear the way he talks to him!"

The dragon couldn't resist laughing a little. It helped his ego that he had impressed her, even if it was in his human form.

As the dragon huffed, Levy's mind found it oddly similar to a certain jerk's particular laugh.

" _Gihihi!"_

* * *

Levy made it back to Magnolia when the sun was beginning to set. Though she wasn't really tired, and she didn't feel like going home just yet.

"I think I'll check in with Master. With only those two idiots around, I doubt much work got done today."

She scurried over to the magic headquarters, picturing in her mind the mess they must have made. The moment she arrived, she reached for the handle.

"A DRAGON?! NEAR MAGNOLIA?!"

Levy froze as dread filled her being. He couldn't know! She had been so careful to make sure her secret was safe, and Lucy was always true to her word! With one foot stepping back, Levy positioned herself to make a run for it if necessary; that way, she could warn her dragon before it was discovered. But before that, she had to be sure that a true threat was present.

"Makarov, really," said a calm voice Levy didn't recognize. "There's no need to cause a commotion."

Judging by the voice, she deduced it was an older man, and he carried a tone of dignity. Levy noted he was addressing the master with no respect. Just who was he?

"Jose, you must be out of your mind!" Makarov proclaimed.

Levy recognized that name: Jose Porla was known as a wizard saint, like the master. Some said his powers rivaled that of Master Makarov, though that was yet to be determined. There was a law among the wizard saints, forbidding them from using magic to combat against one another.

"What makes you think there's a _dragon_ in this area?" Makarov continued. "No one has seen such a creature in centuries! Besides, this is a peaceful village; we rarely get disturbed by any sort of wild life!"

"There are some rumors floating around, old friend. I simply acted upon them, wanting to verify the truth."

"Rumors, eh? Is that so?"

Levy's shoulders relaxed. So he was only following the word on the street; he didn't have the dragon's location. At least it was safe, for now.

"Makarov, please. Just think: if there really were a dragon near here, would you not want to verify its location in order to protect your people? That is your duty as the head mage of this village."

"While that may be true, what you are suggesting is suicide! I have never heard of any sort of magic that could control such a beast!"

"I admit the magic is experimental, but I am quite confident it will succeed. Just watch, my friend. I will soon have a loyal dragon at my disposal."

Levy's hand flew to her mouth; she prayed she had muffled her gasp in time. Jose was trying to use magic to control a dragon, making it a personal slave! She couldn't bear the thought, especially if it was her dragon he managed to capture!

' _That can't happen. I won't let it!'_

"… Our conversation is done, Jose. I have no information to share with you about this so-called dragon."

"Very well, but I shall remain in Magnolia a bit longer. I'll be sure to stay out of your way, of course."

Levy stepped back as the door opened; she had not been able to escape as she had hoped. The sorcerer stopped to look at her. He wore a strange purple cloak with a rather high collar that reached his ears. His black hair, which had a tint of dark red, was tied back; his thick eyebrows and long mustache gave him quite the villainous look. Levy already knew he wasn't trustworthy: his appearance aside, his words from before proved it.

As he stared down at the little girl, a sinister grin appeared on his face.

"So, you must be the little apprentice I've heard so much about. Miss McGarden, correct?"

Levy gulped as she nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Levy!" Master Makarov called from inside. "Come in here at once!"

Jose chuckled at the overprotective, old man. "No need to get worked up, Makarov. I was merely giving a proper greeting. I shall be on my way."

With that, the man walked out the door and into the streets, red with the setting sun. Levy cautiously stepped inside the shop and shut the door. She turned back to Master Makarov, who wore a very stern expression.

"Best be careful around that man, child."


	7. Chapter 7

As the morning light shown down through the trees, the dragon rose. It ate a quick breakfast of iron, courtesy of Levy, before thinking of how to spend the day.

Lately, the dragon had been visiting the shrimpy human on an almost regular basis. The first trip had been out of pure curiosity, but each time "Gajeel Redox" returned to Magnolia, he found he was actually enjoying himself.

Looking up at the sky, the dragon pondered why he repeatedly visited her in that cursed form, rather than remaining a dragon and waiting for her to come to him. There was no doubt that she would return at some point to check on him, so why did he constantly go to her instead? No answer could be found; he only knew he wanted to see her.

The air went still as his body began to shift.

* * *

Gajeel Redfox entered the magic headquarters, expecting to see the blue haired mage where she always was: in the back with her book, practicing her spells. However, today was different. Levy seemed a bit off, as if something was seriously on her mind. Her face looked pale, but it couldn't be due to fatigue. She just had a day off!

' _Wonder what's eatin' her…'_

Deciding it would be best to leave her to her thoughts, Gajeel got to work on his own chores. Still… it was difficult to ignore her odd behavior. There was this nagging voice in his head that he should do something, but what could he do to help?

' _This is why I'll never understand females…'_

Things were quiet that day. Sure, business flowed like usual, but the dynamic of the staff was lacking in energy. With Levy in her state of mind, Gajeel could not reach her; when he asked her a question (with her nickname tagged on the end, of course), she didn't react like she normally did. Instead, she simply answered his question and went back to her thoughts. Even Laxus seemed to recognize that teasing was pointless today, so he chose to nap in his spot. In the depths of his mind, Gajeel was almost dying; he had to know what the hell had affected her like this!

He opened his mouth to say something, but it immediately shut when she jumped at the sound of the door opening.

Out of the corner of his eye, Gajeel observed the newcomer. He had never seen this guy before, but to the dragon man, he looked like a complete whack job.

"Good morning, Miss McGarden."

Levy stiffened the moment she was addressed by the man. She gulped before greeting him, and her voice cracked as she spoke.

"G-Good morning, Master Jose."

Gajeel was baffled by the encounter. _'"Master Jose?" Is this guy really important or somethin'?'_

He glanced down at the shrimpy human. There was definitely fear in her eyes, and Gajeel didn't like it.

"I was wondering, my dear," Jose continued, "if we could continue our conversation? We never did get the chance to be properly acquainted."

"I… I do not understand your request, Master Jose. We never really started a full conversation in the first place, so what is there to continue?"

Jose only smiled, which gave Gajeel the creeps. "That may be so, but there is something I was hoping to ask you. Makarov had rudely interrupted us last time, so I didn't get the chance to bring it up. Why don't you take a break so we can go someplace nice and have a small chat?"

Nothing came out of Levy's mouth; she was frozen. Her face was growing paler and paler. The girl was seriously spooked.

"Oi," Gajeel cut in. "Hate to break it to ya, but there's too much work to get done. We ain't got the time for chit-chattin'"

Thankfully, Levy snapped out of it. "Oh… yeah, that's right."

She turned back to Jose and gave a quick bow. "Apologies, Master Jose. I need to get back to work."

Levy scurried to the back, secretly relieved that Gajeel had spoken up. Now the two of them stood alone in the front of the shop. Jose had remained silent, but he observed the intimidating man with narrow eyes.

"I don't believe we've met…"

Gajeel returned the look with hard, ruby eyes. "Name's Gajeel. I hang around for work. Now if you ain't here for business, then beat it. I already said we're busy."

From the back, Levy could have fainted. Just hearing the way Gajeel spoke to a wizard saint was mortifying! He most likely had no idea who he was speaking to, but that wouldn't stop Jose from stirring up trouble for him! She was about to hurry back and mediate the situation, but Jose had already turned to leave.

"Creep," Gajeel muttered. Levy had to agree with that one.

Master Makarov had returned shortly afterward. As he smacked his sleeping grandson with a paper fan, Levy had decided to withhold the information of the other wizard saint's visit. Nothing really happened, so there was no point getting the master more worked up than he already was. Luckily, Gajeel seemed to think the same thing.

* * *

Later that day, Levy was given the task of delivering herbs to Porlyusica, the town healer. She had already learned from prior experience that the journey to her hut was quite the walk; she hid her home in the forest located near the outskirts of the village. The old woman truly detested human beings, so she isolated herself as much as possible. Sometimes Levy wondered why such a person was a healer in the first place…

Despite the woman's bitterness toward all humanity, she was acquainted with Master Makarov since their youth. He was one of the few people who knew of her location; it is truly an honor when one thinks about it.

Levy chose not to complain about the task. Yes, the walk was long, but it was not as long as her trips to the dragon's den. Besides, she had found that she could not focus on her work because of Master Jose; what if he discovered her dragon? She was so worried she could not bring herself to visit her dragon out of fear that Jose would follow her.

This walk was what she needed. It was the perfect opportunity to attempt to sort her anxious thoughts.

…Or it would have been. Yet a certain stalking giant that shall remain nameless had announced he was going with her.

The entire journey, Gajeel hovered over her. Some would say his behavior was like that of a mother hen. Levy saw a completely different animal; he seemed more like a mama bear, ready to ferociously attack anyone who came near her! What had him so concerned? The only thing to be afraid of was Porlyusica's broomstick!

"Ya know, I've had my fair share of fights, an' I've met some freaky opponents," Gajeel grumbled while rubbing the back of his head, "but _that_ lady takes the cake!"

Levy couldn't help but laugh. They were walking through town on their way back from their errand, which had ended in a frenzy with a woman violently swinging a broom at them. "That's just how she is. You get used to it."

"How the hell can ya 'get used to' a crazy old chick swinging a broom at ya like yer some kind o' rat?!"

His outburst only caused Levy to laugh harder, which made the giant scowl. But at least she was smiling again.

Suddenly his eyes narrowed as he sensed something approaching… fast. He recognized that presence.

Without a word, Gajeel placed his arm around Levy's shoulders, stopping her in her tracks. Before she could question him, he pulled her in front of him as something crashed where she had been standing! The girl blinked in surprise as the dust cleared.

"Jet? Droy?"

"LEVY!" the duo cried out as the jumped to their feet. Jet and Droy were local mages that made frequent appearances at the headquarters ever since Levy came into town. It was obvious they were infatuated; their lovesick cries were not exactly subtle. To tell the truth, Levy ignored it, but they irritated Gajeel. What kind of men would use so much energy chasing after one girl? Sure, he used his magic to change his entire form on an almost daily basis just to spend time with Levy, but that was different!

He broke from his thought as the two morons swooned over Levy, completely ignoring his presence.

"Levy! Did you hear? Apparently, there's another wizard saint in Magnolia!"

"Yeah! He's Master Jose, a user of shade magic! I hear his magic is really creepy stuff…"

A light bulb flickered on in Gajeel's mind. _'Master Jose? Wasn't he the guy that showed up this morning?'_ One look at Levy answered his question; just mentioning his name had her terrified again.

Oblivious to Levy's discomfort, Jet and Droy continued their one-sided conversation.

"I hear Jose's here because of some rumor about a dragon."

Gajeel's ear twitched.

"I heard that, too. Sounds like he believes he can actually control one with dark magic."

Gajeel's entire body tensed. So that saint was after him? No wonder Levy had been spooked!

"Like that can happen!" Droy laughed. "Everyone knows that dragons don't exist!"

"Maybe the old man has some screws loose!" Jet added.

"Or you simply lack any inquiry."

The duo froze at the sinister voice behind them. They turned to see Master Jose himself standing behind them! The two were left completely speechless! However, the saint walked past the statues of Jet and Droy, instead approaching Levy.

"Miss McGarden. Has the workload lessened? Seeing as you are out on the streets, perhaps now you have time to-"

Gajeel stepped in front of Levy, shielding her from the creep. "She ain't goin' nowhere," he growled.

Jose frowned, but he did not retort. Instead, he slightly bowed his head.

"Some other time, then," he said as he turned around and walked away.

' _Definitely can't trust that guy.'_ Gajeel thought.

* * *

A deep scowl remained on Jose's face; he had failed again, and it was infuriating! He was so close to locating that dragon! The key was Makarov's apprentice, Levy McGarden.

There was no doubt about it; he had definitely sensed a strange sort of magic when he first met that girl. It wasn't her magic. He had confirmed that when he met her that morning; the aura was gone at that point.

"So she had to come into contact with the owner of that magical power."

She was hiding something. The aura as well as her reactions around him was proving his point.

But his task was proving to be more difficult than he had originally anticipated. Apparently, this "Gajeel" served as Makarov's guard dog. With him around, it would prove to be difficult to get the young apprentice alone.

"It seems I need a more forward approach."


	8. Chapter 8

Something wasn't right.

There was never a day when the blue-haired apprentice was late. But it was nearing noon, and she had yet to show herself.

The atmosphere in the magic headquarters had grown tense. Master Makarov was sitting on the counter again; his fingers or brow would twitch now and then. Laxus couldn't care less about the girl's welfare, but he did care that he had to help out to cover for her! Then there was Gajeel… he was just about ready to drop what he was doing and search for the small fry!

The chime of the bells brought everyone's attention to the door. A young maiden stood in the entrance, but it was not the one they were expecting.

"Hello, Master Makarov," Lucy Heartfilia greeted respectfully.

Makarov smiled at the girl, hiding his agitation. "Lucy, my child! What brings you here?"

Lucy smiled back, though she gave a wary glance at the other two men in the room. She couldn't deny they were intimidating, but she had a mission. With a deep breath, she focused her attention on the master.

"I was… hoping Levy would be here. Now that I see she's not… we might have a problem."

Gajeel had originally chosen to ignore the blonde bimbo. That changed the moment Levy had been mentioned. _'Does she know somethin' we don't?'_

It was possible. Lucy Heartfilia was one of Levy's closest friends, which Gajeel had come to learn. So if something were happening in Levy's life, Lucy would know.

"I found this on the street."

Lucy held up Levy's magic pen. Everyone in the room knew the little mage was rarely without it, seeing as it was the medium for her powers. If it was lying on the street…

"I checked Levy's house already," Lucy continued, "but she wasn't there. I was hoping maybe she was in a rush and dropped it on the way here."

Silence followed her words. Lucy kept her eyes on the ground, biting her lip to stop herself from getting emotional. Of course she was worried about her best friend, but there was no guarantee she was necessarily in any danger. At the same time, the odds didn't look so good.

Suddenly, Makarov jumped to his feet.

"Laxus! You must go after Miss McGarden!"

Laxus stared in disbelief. "Are you kidding, Gramps? Why do I have to do it?"

"Because I order it! I would look myself, but I have responsibilities. I must stay here."

"But why should I look for that brat? She should know how to take care of herself!"

Lucy had just about enough of Laxus' attitude. Did he not care about Levy at all? "Laxus, you—"

"I'll go."

Everyone turned to Gajeel; his eyes were hard, and his fists were clenched. "I'll look for her. I think I got a better chance than Sparky over here."

"Who the hell are you calling 'Sparky'?!"

Ignoring Laxus outburst, Gajeel turned to Makarov. "You can trust me, old man. I'll get yer fairy girl back."

Makarov stared at the man, as if he were searching him for signs of deceit _. 'He may tease Levy about as much as Laxus, but the look in his eyes tells me he's serious. He'll keep her safe.'_

The old man nodded in acceptance. "I shall leave her in your care, my boy."

Gajeel grunted in acknowledgment before turning to leave. A small hand on his arm stopped him. Red eyes gazed quizzically at the blonde heiress. She was obviously still nervous around him, but she looked directly into his eyes.

"Please. Bring her back safely."

Gajeel only stared at her before a small smirk appeared on his features. "You got it."

* * *

"Ah!"

Levy cried out in pain as she was blown back by a purple blast of magic! She tumbled to the ground, adding to the scrapes and bruises already present on her body.

With her remaining strength, she tried to force herself up. A boot roughly pushed her back down.

"I am losing my patience, girl. Tell me what I want to know, and this torment will end."

Levy could only grit her teeth as the boot pushed down on her back. Just how long had this been going on?

That morning, Levy had hurriedly left for work. Just because she was stressed did not mean she should skip out on her job. And if she remained at the magic headquarters, Jose would less likely become suspicious of her. With him around, now was definitely not the time to visit her dragon.

' _I need to stop worrying about it. That dragon was surviving just fine before I discovered it. Though it might get ornery without its iron…'_

Distracted by her thoughts, she failed to notice the presence behind her.

"At last we are alone, Miss McGarden."

Before she could react, a strong arm held her against a body, and one hand was covering her mouth. She shuddered in fright as her attacker whispered, "You are coming with me."

The next thing she knew, a purple haze had surrounded them, and she was transported deep into the forest.

Jose had been interrogating her ever since. He was convinced that she knew about the dragon. It was the truth, but how did he find out? She had been so careful!

"I… I don't know what you're talking about!" she shouted. There was no way she'd allow him to get to her dragon! She'd rather die than hand her friend over to this monster!

A hand grabbed her hair, hoisting her up. "Still stubborn I see. Makarov must have rubbed off on you." Levy's eyes widened at the sinister grin on Jose's face.

"Nevertheless, you'll soon see I can be quite _convincing_."

He stepped back from her crumpled form, and his eyes began to glow. He raised his hand toward her, and long, purple streams of magic appeared. They moved toward her, coiling around her body like snakes!

Levy was helpless as the magic lifted her into the air, holding her in a crucifix position. The purple magic had wrapped around every inch of her body: her legs, her arms, her torso, and her neck. She scrunched her eyes shut, refusing to give him the pleasure of making her scream.

"I must warn you, child. These coils will tighten as you resist. Best submit to me before it is too late; suffocation truly is a painful way to go."

Just as he said, Levy could feel her body being crushed! Her teeth were grinding into dust, no doubt, and the dark magic was sending painful shocks throughout her being. Unable to hold it in any longer, Levy released an ear-piercing scream.

Jose smirked, enjoying the girl's pain. He wouldn't go as far as killing her, since she was his source of information. But that didn't mean he wouldn't have a little fun with this interrogation. He reached out to hold her chin.

What he did not anticipate was being hit in the face by what felt like an iron club!

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!"

Being caught off guard, Jose crashed into a thick tree trunk, and his concentration was broken. The purple snakes evaporated, and Levy dropped to the ground. Luckily, her rescuer was fast enough to catch her before gently laying her on the ground.

Jose chuckled through the pain. "I had a feeling you would show up… Gajeel Redfox."

The man said nothing, but his glare was deadly. Gajeel had ventured to the forest to search for Levy; one should never doubt a dragon's sense of smell. When he heard his shrimp scream, all bets were off. Whoever caused her pain would pay with his life!

He cracked his knuckles as he stepped closer to Jose. "Shut yer mouth! You'll regret hurting her!"

Instead of fearing Gajeel's threat, Jose smiled at him. "Oh, will I?"

He rose to his feet, facing Gajeel with a steady gaze. "I must say, I have been rather curious of you, Mr. Redfox. If that is really your name."

' _What is he talking about?'_ Levy thought from her position. _'Does he know something about Gajeel?'_

"Cut the crap!" Gajeel shouted. "Beggin' for yer life won't help ya now!"

"Have you ever noticed that you have a different magical aura? At first, I thought it was merely because of your type of magic. But I realized, I had never found a presence quite like yours."

"Shut up already!" Gajeel punched Jose in the face, but the man did not waver.

"I give you credit. You hid your presence well. With that disguise, you even managed to change your aura."

"What the hell are you talkin' about?!"

Jose did not reply. Instead, his eyes began to glow once more. Without warning, Gajeel was nearly blown away by a magical blast.

"Gajeel!" Levy cried in horror.

Gajeel jumped back and prepared to counter. "That ain't gonna work twice!"

But those were only words: before Gajeel could get close enough to touch him, he was thrown back once again by that shade magic.

' _Damn! The old bastard's stronger than I thought!'_

Jose chuckled as the dark magic surrounded him. "I shall force you to reveal your true form!"

Gajeel braced himself for the coming attack, but it never came. "What the—"

His eyes widened in panic as he realized Levy was being lifted off the ground! Her body floated back, leaving her hanging over a cliff!

"Shrimp!"

Levy reached out to him, her eyes wide with terror, but she was immediately dropped and out of sight! Gajeel knew he wouldn't make it in his human form. This was exactly what that twisted wizard wanted him to do, but he had to save Levy no matter what!

In the blink of an eye, Gajeel's magic energy burst around him, revealing his true dragon form. Without a moment's hesitation, he took off and dove after the girl.

As Levy plummeted to the ground, she heard a roar from a distance. She looked up and saw her dragon coming right to her! Though she was relieved to be saved, she also was horrified at her dragon's fate.

"No! What are you doing here? Get away from here! NOW!"

But the dragon paid her pleas no mind. It dove below her, positioning itself to catch her falling form. Levy grabbed on the moment she landed, and the dragon abruptly flew straight up to the sky.

"We have to get away!" Levy cried out.

The dragon glanced back at her, ready to depart. But dark magic had already claimed him, holding him in place. In one final act, the dragon managed to grab Levy with its tail and toss her to safety.

Jose laughed as the dragon was completely ensnared by his magic. "Haha! And they called me a fool! Now all shall see the true power of Master Jose!"

He held out his hand toward the dragon. "From this day forth, thy name shall be 'Black Steel.'"

The dragon's ruby eyes shrank away, leaving only white. Its scales slowly shifted from silver to black, and its aura became completely menacing and dark.

"You are mine to command, Black Steel!" Jose cried in triumph.

Levy could only watch helplessly as her beloved dragon disappeared before her eyes.

"NOOOOOO!"


	9. Chapter 9

The black dragon continued to struggle against the dark magic; a purple haze was holding it in place, and blue bolts that looked like lightning were sending shocks through its body! The spell-caster laughed at the beast's suffering.

"I am your master, Black Steel! You shall crush my enemies like the insects they are! None shall stand against us!" Jose declared. But a certain mage was desperate to keep that from happening.

"Stop it!"

Ignoring her own pain, Levy pushed herself up. Once she managed to stand, she darted toward the dragon. Logically, there was nothing she could do against such powerful dark magic, but the only thought that ran through Levy's mind was getting to her dragon before it was too late!

The girl stopped in her tracks as dark dragon slowly lifted its head to the sky. It released a mighty roar, one so powerful the earth shook! Levy covered her ears in a futile effort to protect her hearing. She had never felt so frightened! Was this truly her dragon?

' _No. Jose has possessed him. He's no longer himself…'_

How could this have happened? Levy's legs buckled beneath her as she lost hope. What now? What would Jose force the dragon to do? If he decided to attack the village, what chance did they have of survival? There was no way they could stop a dragon!

And after everything Gajeel had—

' _Gajeel! How could I forget about him?!'_

Levy whipped her head around, searching for any trace of him. But she found nothing, which made her panic. She desperately began to call out his name.

"Gajeel?! Gajeel!"

From his spot, Jose turned his head to her, smirking at her pitiful attempts.

"You are wasting your breath! He can no longer hear you!"

"What are you talking about?!" the little mage demanded.

"Fool! The 'Gajeel Redfox' you knew was only a ruse! His true nature is right before us!"

Levy was completely taken aback. _'Gajeel… he is the dragon? It can't be!'_

Her eyes slowly left the sinister saint, moving back to the possessed dragon. Could it be possible? How could a human have a dragon form?

But there was no denying the clues that flooded her mind at that moment. The way Gajeel laughed was similar to the dragon; they shared the same ruby eyes; and Levy had recognized him as the man who saved her from nearly drowning before bringing her to the dragon's den. There was not enough evidence to make it a fact, but she had enough to arouse suspicion that Gajeel and her dragon were one and the same. Somewhere in her heart… she knew it was true.

"Ga…Gajeel?" Levy barely whispered, clearly in a state of shock.

At that moment, the dragon seemed to flinch. Its glowing white eyes squeezed shut, and it began to shake its head wildly as its struggling intensified. Levy forgot her fear as concern for her friend took over.

"Gajeel?! What is it? What's wrong?!"

Jose laughed from where he stood. "There is no use resisting, Black Steel! Accept your fate! You are a weapon of mass destruction!"

Levy understood what was happening. At least, she thought she did. She tried to get back on her feet, but more purple streams of magic, which coiled around her ankles, tripped her. The poor girl fell face first!

"Pathetic girl!" Jose cried out. "Just stay where you are, and I might consider sparing your life! It would be quite a treat to witness the true power of your precious pet!"

Levy grit her teeth in irritation. "He is _not_ a pet!" she growled. Despite the pain and fear she felt, Levy raised her head to the dragon.

"Do not give in, Gajeel! You are stronger than this! Fight it, you big idiot! FIGHT IT!"

The dragon's eyes shot open, and it released another roar. Levy managed to brace herself, as did Jose. However, she noticed some distress in his features.

"What is this? Why can't I… UGH!"

Jose fell back as his magic backfired on him. The small explosion was enough to knock him back a few feet. To Levy's relief, he lost control over the dark magic that ensnared her. If she was free, then maybe…

She looked back up to her dragon, expecting him to be changing back to normal.

Sadly, her hypothesis had been wrong.

Instead of reverting back, the dragon was still black, and it was on the brink of a rampage! Without warning, it released a stream of flame into the sky! Even the flames themselves had turned black! Horrified and helpless, the young apprentice could only watch the torment her friend was going through. Her mind began to spin.

' _Is this because of the curse? Jose said the magic was experimental… is it possible he lost control? So what happens now? How can we change him back?!'_

Lost in her thoughts, Levy failed to realize the dragon was closing in on her. Before she could react, its head was right in front of her! Her body began to tremble involuntarily. From the ground, she stared up into the white sockets where his ruby eyes had once been, and visions of the dragon she loved appeared in her head.

This was not her dragon.

 _Her_ dragon kept itself isolated as much as possible.

 _Her_ dragon was smug with a playful side.

 _H_ er dragon was cocky and liked to show off for her, though it would never hurt her.

But this dragon… this dragon was dangerous. It could kill without a second thought.

Tears streamed down her face as the dragon continued to stare at her menacingly.

"No… Please, Dragon…"

The dragon's head backed away, but Levy did not get the chance to relax. She watched in horror as the dragon roared again, swiping its claw down toward her! Helplessly, she covered her head with her arms and screamed.

Nothing touched her.

Levy dared to open an eye. She gasped as she saw Master Makarov in front of her! His hands had become massive; they were at least ten times the size of his entire body! He was holding back the dragon's claw with all of his strength; Levy did not miss the streams of blood flowing down his hand.

"M-Master…"

"Yo, Gramps!"

Brown eyes shifted to see Laxus carrying the unconscious Jose over his shoulder. "I got him! Now what?!"

"Sit tight!" The old man shouted. "I will transport us!"

Transport? Levy had read about such spells, but it took a great deal of magical energy to pull off a transportation spell for _one_ person! Yet there were _four_ of them! If Master could even manage to complete the spell, he could be drastically weakened, and they all would be doomed!

Levy attempted to speak, but she was growing weaker by the minute. She could feel her consciousness slipping away.

"Don't… Master…"

* * *

"Jose! I demand that you tell me!"

Levy slowly blinked her eyes open. What had happened? From afar, the earth was still rumbling with the massive dragon. The voice she heard continued to shout; was it Master Makarov?

"Ah! You're awake!"

A small girl with long blue hair that was a few shades darker than her own was hovering over Levy. She smiled brightly before her expression changed to being ashamed.

"I managed to heal your wounds, but my magic can't restore energy completely. I'm sorry!"

Levy gently took the girl's hand, wearing a small smile of her own.

"Thank you, Wendy. I owe you one."

The little girl beamed as Levy attempted to sit up. She knew where she was the moment she saw Wendy. The child was the apprentice of Porlyusica, so Master Makarov must have managed to get them to safety. Surprisingly, the old healer was standing with Makarov instead of swinging her broom around.

"We heard about the dragon," Wendy explained before Levy could ask. The word mage nodded before she focused on the conversation at hand.

"Thanks to you, Jose, that dragon is out of control!" Master ranted. "If you cannot reign it in, then you have to tell us how to reverse the curse! If you care for your life, you will do it!"

Jose's head remained lowered. He said nothing, and Porlyusica sighed.

"This is why humans are so impossible. They only think about themselves, not about the consequences of their actions."

Laxus was currently resting against the wall with his arms folded, waiting for the interrogation to end so the action could begin. Levy was surprised at his calm composure; his grandfather was obviously nearing a panic attack!

"JOSE! EXPLAIN YOUR MAGIC TO US NOW!"

"…I did it."

Everyone froze as the clearly deranged Jose began to laugh out loud.

"I did it! I transformed a dragon into a weapon of mass destruction! With just a little more magic, I can control it completely! I shall be invincible!"

Makarov sighed as he watched his old friend with pity. Jose had not always been like this; at least, not before he took up shade magic. Anyone who studied anything about dark magic was aware of the risks. It was not something to be tampered with. Jose served as Exhibit A; it was possible he had gone mad due to his own magic. There would be no way to convince him to help.

"No sense in talking to a nutcase like him," Laxus pointed out. "I say we just kill the beast!"

The old man turned to his grandson in horror. "Do you have any idea what you are saying, Laxus?! There is no telling what a dragon is capable of!"

"And we have our magic, Gramps! That dragon won't stand a chance against my awesome power!"

"But what about Gajeel?!"

The Dreyars turned to the little mage, now standing before them. The poor thing was still trembling, but her eyes were hard and focused.

"'That dragon' is my friend. He has been posing as Gajeel all this time!"

Both the men were shocked at this news; Gajeel Redfox was a dragon?!

"You've got to be kidding me!" Laxus protested. "Why should we believe that? Sure, that guy is a total pain, but a dragon?! No way!"

"It's the truth! Gajeel tried to save me from Jose, and the next thing I knew, he was gone and the dragon was present! That can't be a coincidence! Ask Jose!"

Laxus towered over the girl. "Can you hear yourself right now? How do you know Redfox didn't get eaten?! And why trust that lunatic?!"

"I just know. Gajeel is the dragon. He's been living in the forest for who knows how long, and he never once threatened the village! Even when he posed as a human, he never meant any harm! It's not his fault he's like this right now; Jose's magic is to blame!"

Makarov carefully observed his apprentice. Her claims were rather difficult to believe, yet something told him she spoke the truth. Perhaps it was the look in her eyes, or it was the trust he held for the girl.

' _Either way, I cannot condone the attack on a dragon.'_

"That's enough!" the head mage ordered. Both Laxus and Levy turned to the master as he spoke his orders.

"Although I cannot prove that Gajeel is indeed the dragon, it is obvious that the dragon's rampage is Jose's doing. There will be no attacking such a creature; we do not want to anger it any further. We shall defend our village, nothing more. Our magic can shield and conceal the location of the emergency shelter or transport it if need be. Spread the word; all villagers must report to the shelter. Once everyone has arrived, we shall transport to a different location and plan our next move from there."

Levy smiled with relief. "Excellent plan, Master."

His eyes turned to the apprentice. "And when this is over, I will be awaiting your explanation of how you know so much about this dragon."

The girl tensed immediately, and her right pointer finger scratched her jaw awkwardly. She was in for it now. "Y-Yes, Master."

"Forget this!"

The occupants of the room turned to Laxus, currently in tantrum mode. "I don't care what you say. Save the pathetic villagers if you want, but I am going to take that dragon down myself!"

With that, the lightning user stormed off. Poor Wendy trembled at his rage. "Wh- why is he so angry? Shouldn't we be concerned about the villagers?"

Levy placed a hand on the girl's shoulders. "That's right. Laxus just… has a hard time seeing things that way. He would rather fight than retreat."

"But… can we do it without Laxus?"

There was no denying that Laxus Dreyar, despite his self-righteous attitude, was a powerful mage. If he chose to abandon them, they would lose quite a bit of manpower. Master Makarov was also down for the count; due to the amount of magic he used to transport all of them to Porlyusica's, he needed to recover more energy. That energy had to be saved for the second transportation spell, the one that would move _all_ of the villagers.

"It will be up to us, then!" Levy declared. Of course, Wendy was still unsure, so Levy had to be positive for her. She knelt down and held the little girl's shoulders.

"You and I will alert the village. We can get everyone else to help spread the word. Master and Porlyusica will be at the shelter, and we can recruit mages to share their magical power to raise a shield or help Master with the transportation spell. We can do it!"

Wendy stared at the older girl. She was like a big sister to her, and Levy had not let her down before. Her courage was inspiring, and Wendy knew she had to follow her example. She blinked her tears away and held up her fists in motivation.

"Right! Let's do this!"


	10. Chapter 10

There was no time to waste; the dragon was nearing Magnolia at an alarming rate, and it was impossible for the villagers not to notice a giant, angry, ferocious beast heading their way! Panic had already begun to spread by the time Levy and Wendy arrived on the scene.

According to Master Makarov's plan, they had to get the villagers to the emergency shelter; it was a large building at the edge of town, designed to hold all of the villagers inside. A magic circle was created beneath it, which could be triggered as a transportation spell. It required plenty of magical power to activate it, so they needed as much help as they could get. The idea was to only use it if they were unable to fend off a coming invasion.

Some mages, such as Sir Fried Justine, had volunteered to use magic to create a barrier around the shelter to keep enemies out and attacks at bay. Others were prepared to share some magical energy to activate the magic circle. Everything had been set long ago, all according to Makarov's design.

Thus far, the emergency shelter had never been used…until today.

The young mages got to work herding the villagers to the shelter. As the protectors, they had to be careful not to let anyone get left behind. With the number of people in Magnolia's population, it was proving to be difficult for two mages alone. Thankfully, there were some mages able to step up and assist the non-magic users.

Throughout the panic, Levy's mind was racing. In her head, she knew that the best solution was to save Gajeel from the curse instead of abandoning him. There had to be some way to reverse the spell! She just had to analyze Jose's casting procedure. Somewhere, there had to be a key that locked the curse in place…

' _I've got it! Jose renamed Gajeel, calling him "Black Steel"! That must be the key!_ '

But how to reverse it? If the key was the new name… maybe using his true name could undo the spell?

' _It's worth a try!'_

Levy left Wendy to usher the crowd and ran toward the dragon.

"Gajeel! You have to stop! GAJEEL!"

It was useless; the dragon did not show any signs of acknowledgment this time. Instead, it ignored her and continued the rampage. Levy cursed her stupidity. She had no idea what the dragon's name was! She only knew of his human alias, Gajeel Redfox!

Magnolia's fate was looking incredibly grim. Buildings were being crushed by the dragon's feet and tail, and its roars were still causing the earth to quake! Black flames were smoldering the rubble, and Levy was beginning to lose all hope.

"AHHHHH!"

Multiple screams sounded from the same location. Levy whirled to face the proper direction, and her eyes widened in absolute terror! There was Lucy Heartfilia, standing in front of a group of children; they were directly in the dragon's line of sight! No doubt an attack was coming, but what could she do? Levy had lost her magic pen back when Jose had kidnapped her. Besides, even if she had her pen with her, she was not sure she could fight with her magic.

Everything moved in slow motion as Levy's mind flashed to a conversation she had with her Master.

" _Master, what if someone attacks us? How can I protect what is important to me if I cannot fight?"_

" _Levy, my child, sometimes the offensive is not the best course of action. Say an opponent attacked you directly. What would go through your head?"_

" _I would… want to stop them. I would want to fight back."_

" _Exactly! Offensive attacks can result in retaliation from the opponent, especially if you are facing a mage who gains power from rage."_

" _Then how can I protect anyone, Master?"_

 _A small grin appeared on the old man's face as he eyed his apprentice. "Well, young miss, I believe you already know the answer."_

Levy's brow furrowed; she realized what had to be done.

' _I do. I do know the answer. If I cannot attack, then I should focus on what I can do. I can… DEFEND!_

In a flash, Levy focused her magic into her hand and wrote the word 'WATER' with her fingers.

' _Please work! Come on!'_

There was no telling if the magic would work without her pen. All the same, she had to try! She held her breath…

The large blue letters appeared where her fingers had been, creating a wall of water! Her magic worked without the medium! Praying her timing was right, she watched as the water evaporated when the flames made contact; luckily, it was enough to stop that blast. The steam was enough to cover them as the dragon rampaged aimlessly. Levy sighed in relief before turning to the people behind her.

"Hurry! Get to the shelter as fast as your feet can carry you! GO!"

The terrified children did as they were told, but Lucy was opposed to the idea. She grabbed her best friend by the arm.

"You come, too! We have to get away!"

Levy shook her head. "I'm not leaving him, Lucy. I'm going to save Gajeel."

"Then I won't leave, either! Not without you!"

Normally, Levy loved Lucy's loyalty. But this time, her stubbornness was putting her in danger. She did not belong on the battlefield…

"Fine. If you want to help, there is something you can do for me."

"Huh?"

* * *

Levy continued her struggle against the dragon. In order to allow the villagers to escape to safety, she stayed behind to defend the stragglers. Her water shield, however, had not been enough. Apparently, the dragon had another ability she had been unaware of. Not only could it release flame from its mouth, but it also could release what appeared to be a gray whirlwind with bits and pieces of iron flying around. Levy had barely managed to dodge the first attack, since it cut right through her water. However, the swirling metal had still grazed her. There were cuts all over her body, and her dress was covered in rips and tears.

She needed a new tactic. When she saw the signs for the Iron Dragon Roar, she quickly countered with the word 'SHIELD.' A yellowish sphere covered her and the villagers she protected, though it was just barely enough to deflect the blow before vanishing.

' _At least that's something. I can still buy more time.'_

Levy gasped at the dragon was getting dangerously close to trampling some of the people! If she used the shield, the villagers would be trapped inside, and it would only be a matter of time before they were crushed! Levy had to think fast. She waved her fingers, writing the word "SHINE." Suddenly the word appeared in the dragon's face and glowed almost as bright as the sun! The dragon was blinded, giving Levy the opportunity to get the people away.

"Keep going! You're going to make it, I promise!"

"Sure you can keep that promise, brat?"

Levy looked over to see Laxus standing there, along with a small group of mages. It did not take a genius to figure out his intentions.

"You can't fight him, Laxus! It's too dangerous for all of you!"

The large man only laughed. "Maybe for you. Now think for a second, Levy. Just how much longer do you think you can keep this up?"

Levy had nothing to say; his words hit close to home. With all of the spells she had used, it would only be a matter of time before she reached her limit. At the same time, she could not allow Laxus to fight; if anyone got hurt, both sides would regret it. Sadly, the man failed to see that.

"Laxus, you—"

Levy was cut off as the dragon loomed above them! It flapped its wings, causing a violent wind that almost blew them away completely! Levy, having no time to brace herself, was knocked back along with a few of the mages in Laxus group; unfortunately, she hit her head just right, leaving her dazed. But the leader of the group stood firm.

"Do not back down now! We have to prove that Magnolia wizards are not a bunch of pansies!"

His speech seemed to lift the spirits of some of the men. They jumped to their feet, released a multitude of battle cries, and attacked the dragon with various blasts of magic. Some used elemental magic, like fire or plants, while others tried to stun or paralyze the creature. Laxus looked on, allowing the men to weaken the dragon before he jumped in.

' _I'll let these lackeys tire that monster out. Then once everyone else is out of juice, I'll jump in and unleash the final blow, giving me the victory and the glory that comes with it!'_

Laxus grinned to himself. Even Mirajane would be unable to resist a hero like him!

From her spot, Levy slowly regained her senses. She groaned at the pain that coursed through her limbs. The sight before her, however, was enough to motivate her to stand. With each attack those mages sent, the dragon only got more irritated and angry; the natural instinct was obviously to retaliate. It did not take long for the mages to be brought down; some fell at the swing of his tail and claws, while the dragon's wings blew others away.

Once all of the mages were down for the count, Laxus finally stepped forward. He stood tall as he faced the dragon, playing the part of the hero perfectly when he pointed to the dragon and loudly proclaimed, "You're going down, you monster! They'll proclaim me a hero after I've vanquished you!"

Laxus pulled out what appeared to be a glass sphere. Within it, there was a small lightning bolt. Levy recognized it as the medium for Laxus' lightning magic! Since the dragon survived on iron…

' _Iron has a little capability to conduct electricity. If he gets hit with a lightning attack, it can't be good!'_

Desperately, she darted to stand between Laxus and the dragon. She stretched her arms out as she faced Laxus down.

"Stop it, Laxus! You'll kill him!"

"Out of the way, brat! Why are you defending that thing?! Can't you see the damage it already caused?!"

"But he has no control of his actions!"

"That thing is a wild animal! It doesn't care what it destroys! NOW MOVE, OR I'LL HAVE TO FRY YOU, TOO!"

Levy sighed as she lowered her arms and shifted her position so the dragon and Laxus were on either side of her. "You leave me no choice, Laxus. I cannot allow you to do this," she said softly.

As Laxus released a battle cry, Levy stretched her hands out to both sides. At the same time, she wrote the word "RESTRAINTS" with both hands. The letters turned into glowing chains; one wrapped around Laxus' arms and chest, and the other extended enough to hold down the dragon by its legs, neck, and mouth. Out of pure shock from the little mage's move, Laxus had dropped his lightning orb, but once he snapped out of it, he began to struggle furiously to no avail.

"Damn brat! How did you do this without your pen?!"

Levy stood in the middle; despite the struggling from both sides, she remained calm, trusting in her magic. The spell would remain as long as the restraints were connected to her arms. It took a great deal of magical energy to do so, but she had to hold on until Lucy discovered the dragon's true name. Her grip on the chains tightened as she fought the exhaustion.

' _Come on, Lulu! Hurry!'_

* * *

' _I'm coming, Levy!'_

Lucy was currently at the library. The first thing she had done upon arrival was to locate every book about dragons she could find. With the use of Levy's magic glasses, she could read through those thick books in minutes. Still, she had to hurry with her task; Levy depended on it.

" _Listen, Lucy. I think I know how to snap this dragon out of it. We need his real name, not the alias he's been using. Try to find the name of a dragon that relies on iron or metal as its source of strength! Hurry!"_

' _Come on! There has to be something about a metal-eating dragon!'_

That's when she spotted it: the mythical dragon of iron magic.

Dropping everything, Lucy dashed out the door and ran as fast as she could until she reached Levy and the dragon. At first, she had been surprised at the situation Levy was controlling, but she still had a job to do. She took a deep breath and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"METALICANA!"

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am aware that Gajeel Redfox and Metalicana are not the same beings. For this story only, Gajeel inherited the name.**


	11. Chapter 11

Master Makarov observed the citizens of Magnolia crowding into the single building. As promised, the mages who volunteered their magic were hard at work. Hopefully, Wendy and Levy were nearly done getting the villagers here. Thanks to that dragon, they would have to leave quickly before they were crushed! Even magical shields cannot last forever, especially against a mythical beast!

Makarov could feel his nerves getting tenser by the minute; just where were the girls? And what of Laxus? He had noticed the lack of his grandson along with some other mages he knew. Something told him Laxus had convinced some people to attack the dragon after all.

 _'That idiotic—'_

He broke from his thoughts as Porlyusica slapped the top of his head. "Stop worrying so much. I doubt your old heart can take much more. Besides, you need to focus your magical energy."

Makarov growled and grumbled, but he knew she was right. He returned to his meditation.

 _'We almost have enough magic. Hopefully everyone will make it in time.'_

"Lady Porlyusica! Master Makarov!"

Both elders were surprised to see little Wendy run up to them… without Levy.

"Wendy?" Makarov questioned. "What became of Levy?"

The child stared at the ground as she spoke with regret. "She stayed behind to protect the villagers."

"SHE _WHAT_?!"

As the old man's fury was released, Wendy tried her best to calm him down. "But Master, she was amazing! She used her magic and successfully fended off the dragon's attacks. I would have helped, but I am not that powerful…"

Porlyusica placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You made the right decision. Someone had to remain with the villagers."

"Yes, but…"

Makarov then jumped from his spot. "Porlyusica, I am going after my apprentice and idiot grandson. There is enough magical energy for you to activate the circle as soon as I am gone. I will protect all who remain."

The old woman scoffed at him. "You old fool. What can you possibly do besides getting killed?"

It sounded like a cruel insult, but Makarov understood the truth behind her words. In her own way, she was showing that she was worried about him. He looked up at her and grinned like an idiot.

"It'll take much more than that to bring this old geezer down! I'll see you soon!"

With a wink, the old man was already gone. Wendy watched his retreating form with worry in her eyes. "Will he really be all right?"

Porlyusica could only sigh. "I suppose he expects us to have faith."

She then proceeded to activate the circle. Her hand stretched over the center of the building, and she sent a shock of her own power to start the process. Soon the entire building began to glow. The villagers were shocked as they were lifted into the air! One moment the shining building was there, and the next, it was gone.

* * *

"METALICANA!"

Lucy panted as she watched the dragon, praying for some sort of reaction. Levy's eyes widened in recognition! Of course! The metal dragon! That must be it!

All eyes were on the dragon, but it continued its struggles. The plan had failed. Now what could they do?

Levy's brain went to work again. _'So shouting its name did not work. Did its ears block us out? Then how can we—'_

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!"

Laxus' rage had reached its peak, and his magic was beginning to form around him! _'I guess I'm not the only one who doesn't need a medium!'_ Levy thought with dismay.

With a loud cry, lightning came down from the sky, enveloping Laxus! The electricity sparked around his body, and as soon as it made contact with the chain, the lightning moved though it!

' _And once that lightning reaches me, it could travel straight to Gajeel!'_

There was no time to think! Levy quickly severed the restraints holding the dragon in place, just as the lightning struck. The girl screamed as her body was electrocuted! It was not an instant attack; there was enough lightning to make her pain prolong.

"Levy, no!" Lucy helplessly cried. Tears were streaming down her face, overwhelmed by what was happening.

As Levy continued to cry out in pain, the dragon was frozen in place. Its eyes never left the girl, even when the lightning finally disappeared. Levy dropped to the ground, and her body was still.

Tears still flowing from her eyes, Lucy fell to her knees. "No…" she sobbed. "Laxus, you… you… you _murderer_!"

Even Laxus seemed to have some regret for letting his rage loose. He looked completely shocked as he stammered. "Well… well, I warned her! It was her fault for getting in my way!"

As the two blondes argued, Master Makarov appeared before them. He froze when he saw the state his apprentice was in; she was unconscious, there were deep cuts and bruises adorning her body, and there were distinct burn marks, some from lightning while others were from flames. His heart almost stopped completely as he watched her motionless, pitiful form.

"L… Levy… my child…"

He took one step closer to her, and that was enough to retrigger the dragon's rage!

Without warning, it released another Iron Dragon Roar straight at Laxus! He attempted to block it with his magic, but he had not anticipated that spike in the monster's power! The lightning mage was completely blown away, and he was knocked out the moment he landed.

Makarov and Lucy scurried back as the dragon hovered over Levy's body. It then reached down and scooped her up in its claw! It held her close as it continued to attack; it was much more furious than it was before!

"No!" Lucy cried. "Put her down!"

Makarov, however, observed in silence. _'Is it possible… Does Gajeel recognize Levy? Even in his possessed state?'_

It truly amazed him how Gajeel's protective instincts had kicked in. In his human form, he had always been defensive when it came to Levy. Now he was showing it in his dragon form. Makarov could not help but note that the dragon's behavior reminded him of an animal protecting its mate.

* * *

' _Where am I?'_

Levy found herself standing in an open field. There were no sounds, no plants besides grass, or any other presences. It was just her and the wind.

"Hello? What is this place? Can someone tell me?"

No one answered her cries. There was not another soul in sight.

' _Did I… die?'_

Suddenly a figure appeared in the distance. He wasn't facing her, but Levy would recognize that thick mane of black hair anywhere.

"Gajeel? Gajeel, is that you?"

The man turned to her. Ruby eyes gleamed as he smirked at her. Levy could feel the tears building in her eyes, and she happily ran to him.

"Gajeel! Thank goodness! You're alright!"

She opened her arms to embrace him. The look on his face suddenly became grim. Levy froze, wondering why she suddenly felt so afraid.

Before her eyes, the sky turned dark. Gajeel's entire body became grossly distorted, transforming him into that wicked dragon. A purple haze appeared around him, and Levy could hear Jose's voice echoing around her.

"This dragon belongs to me!"

With tears streaming down her face, Levy held her head in her hands.

"No."

She fell to her knees, having to use her hands as support against the ground.

"No."

The dragon glared at her before swooping down for the kill.

"NO!"

* * *

Levy forced her eyes open, feeling a bit startled as realized where she was. The dragon was still possessed, and it was holding her. Its black scales were well within her reach. Levy knew her strength was failing her, so she had to act now.

With the last of her remaining strength, she managed to slide her finger across the scales. She forced her hand to keep moving until she completed her final spell.

' _Metalicana.'_

The dragon came to a halt. Lucy and Makarov watched as the black scales slowly fell off the dragon's body, disintegrating in the air. Its body shrank in size, and the scales began to fly faster. Soon all they could see was a flurry of black scales!

Once all of the dragon scales had vanished, all that remained was the tattered body of Gajeel Redfox, looking worse for wear. His tunic was gone, leaving him shirtless, and there were burns on his body from the dark magic. He was on his knees, and he was holding the injured woman in his arms. His ruby eyes stared at her in bewilderment.

"… … Shrimp?"

Levy smiled tearfully, relieved that he had returned to normal.

"Hi, Gajeel."

Gajeel could only stare at her; his eyes took in every mark, every injury on her body. Who had hurt her this badly? The last thing he remembered was…

Then it hit him. He could not remember anything. That Jose guy had kidnapped his shrimp and almost killed her, so he had to transform into a dragon to save her. Then…

Nothing. His memory was blank. Just what had happened? Had Jose succeeded in controlling him? Was he the one… who hurt Levy?

He looked around for help, only to find the entire village was now a bunch of rubble and ashes. The amount of damage was astonishing; he doubted a human had caused this.

"Did… I do this?"

He looked back to Levy. "Did I…?"

Tears flowed from Levy's eyes without her permission. It must have been awful for him to be unaware of what he had done.

 _'He must be so confused...'_

Levy wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault, but she was far too weak to give him any words. She just felt so tired, and her eyelids felt so heavy...

Gajeel panicked the moment the girl's eyes closed. "Shrimp? Hey, you gotta keep yer eyes open! Stay with me!"

Desperately, he attempted to jostle the girl awake, but it was no use. She remained motionless. Dread began to fill the Gajeel's entire being, and he shook her body a little harder.

"C'mon Shrimp, this ain't funny! Wake up!"

The dragon man ground his teeth together in anger and despair; he couldn't stand these human emotions that were flooding into his heart! Tears of his own dropped onto the girl. He hugged her tightly as he cried out, "DAMMIT, LEVY! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME LIKE THIS! WAKE UP!"

The two bystanders observed with sadness as Gajeel continued to tremble in agony. Cautiously, Makarov moved closer to them and gently placed a hand on Gajeel's back.

"Take it easy, my boy. Levy is not dead. She's just used up too much magical energy."

His words failed to sooth him; Gajeel continued to hold her tightly. He couldn't ignore the various burns on her body.

"Who… hurt her? Was it me?"

Makarov sighed. "Some of it, yes. But the worst attack came from another source. She was trying to protect you as well as the village. That multi-tasking brat."

Lucy gathered enough courage to kneel before them. "We need to move her to a safer location where she can rest. Then we'll get a doctor and—"

Just as Lucy had reached out to touch Levy, Gajeel protectively held her against him and snarled at her, just like an animal. Lucy flinched (Come on, the guy was scary) but calmly said, "I'll lead the way. You can carry her, can't you?"

Surprisingly, Gajeel managed to slowly rise to his feet. He carried Levy in his arms as gently as he could, as if she was something extremely precious. Lucy recalled how protective dragons were of their treasure, at least in the story books. It was surprising to see in real life.

They walked through the village, which was mostly obliterated. All eyes searched for a building that remained in tact, but they found none. A sinking feeling came over Gajeel, and his grip on the girl tightened slightly. There was no escaping this feeling of guilt.

Makarov suggested trying Porlyusica's place. Somehow, someway, the possessed dragon had missed her home. At that moment, the party was extremely grateful for the shelter.

They moved inside and settled in, placing Levy on the spare bed. Gajeel stared at her sleeping form for but a moment before he collapsed on the ground beside her.

' _It's a miracle he made it this far…'_ Lucy thought as she pondered what to do with the dragon man.


	12. Chapter 12

It was safe to say that Magnolia was in for a long recovery.

Those who had made it to the magic headquarters had returned safely, only to find the entire town in ruins! Thankfully, there was no sign of the dragon.

Makarov had been there the moment the villagers returned. Wendy dashed forward and embraced him while Porlyusica walked toward him.

"I see you managed not to keel over."

"Ha! Like I said before, it'll take more than that to get rid of me!"

A ghost of a smile appeared on the old woman's face, though it lasted for less than a second. It was time to get down to business.

"Now then. What became of that dragon? And those idiotic humans who stayed behind?"

* * *

"WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO FILL MY HOME WITH THESE HUMANS?!"

The old woman certainly was not pleased to see three patients in her home. First, there was the idiot grandson with the large ego; he was in poor shape after being hit by the dragon's attack. He had plenty of bruises and possibly some broken ribs.

Then, there was a man she hardly recognized. Porlyusica had seen him only once; he was the one that had shown up with Levy on an errand. There were no serious wounds on this one, but he was in a coma due to complete exhaustion and drainage of magical energy.

' _Not surprising, since he was forced to transform into a destructive dragon.'_

Last there was the apprentice. At first glance, her condition appeared to be the most serious. There were serious burns adorning her body, as well as deep cuts and bruises. The majority of her body was covered in bandages, and with the amount of energy she had used up in the battle, there was no telling when she would wake up.

Porlyusica turned to her old "friend." "Tell me, Makarov. Just how long do you intend on making me work?"

The little man braced himself before revealing the rest of the situation. "These are not the only patients, Porlyusica. Many others were injured in the rampage. We managed to set up a temporary shelter near town, but we moved these critical patients here."

"You mean to tell me there are MORE humans to tend to?! I swear, after this, I am absolutely done with humans!"

Wendy smiled to herself upon hearing her teacher's outburst. She knew it was not true; she lost count of how many times she had heard that one.

The little healer walked over to Lucy, who was sitting in a chair next to Levy's bed. She placed her hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure they will all be fine."

The blonde heiress managed to smile tearfully before nodding.

"That's right. We'll all get through this."

* * *

From that day on, everyone got to work restoring Magnolia to its former glory. Those who were uninjured were put to work instantly; some used magical powers while others chipped in with physical labor. It was nice to see everyone working together as a team.

Porlyusica and Wendy got to work taking care of the injured. Most of the problems were a few broken bones, so they were easily fixed with herbal remedies and some rest. Wendy felt a little guilty for not using her magic to help, but she could only use so much at once without exhausting herself. Because of that, she reserved her healing magic for the more serious injuries.

Lucy remained at the hut to care for Levy, Laxus, and Gajeel. All she really had to do was keep an eye on them and change their bandages once in a while. She spent most of her time praying for her friends to wake up.

"How are they?"

Lucy turned to see Master Makarov making his daily visit. It had been three days since the rampage, and the three patients had yet to wake up.

"Well, everyone's breathing has remained steady. Gajeel had a slight fever this morning, but its already starting to go down. Laxus started twitching a little, so I'll take it as a good sign. And Levy…."

Makarov sighed as he stepped next to the little mage's bed. "That girl… why would she do something so reckless? Her only job was to take care of the villagers! I should have been there! Then she would not have had to take this on by herself!"

Lucy smiled sadly. "Levy always wanted to be able to protect others, and she did. She used her magic without her pen. If you ask me, that is pretty incredible."

"Yes, that is incredible," Makarov agreed. "Despite how stupid her actions were, I am proud of her."

"Th-thanks… Master."

With a start, both Makarov and Lucy stared down at Levy; her chocolate brown eyes were watery, and she wore a small, pained smile. Lucy trembled with joy before trapping her best friend in an embrace.

"Levy! Thank goodness! I'm so relieved!"

Levy sighed as her friend balled her eyes out. If her body were not so sore, she would have hugged her back. Tears began to sting her eyes.

' _It is finally over.'_

Her eyes scanned her surroundings. She recognized where she was, at least, but there were questions swimming in her mind.

What happened to Gajeel?

Are the villagers okay?

What about Laxus?

Makarov chuckled; he knew that look in his apprentice's eyes. "Yes, yes, my child, I can tell you what I know."

Lucy reluctantly released Levy and helped her sit up before Makarov explained what happened.

"… The villagers are currently working to rebuild Magnolia, but it will take some time. But we are a strong people; we will manage somehow."

Levy nodded in understanding; there was no doubt in her mind that her master spoke the truth.

Makarov grasped one of Levy's hands. "I am glad to see you are recovering. With that in mind, I can get back to work with peace of mind."

"Yes, Master."

With that, the old man left to check on the village's progress. Levy turned to Lucy, who was still crying.

"I'm okay, Lulu. Really."

The girl desperately tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I know. I know. It just won't stop."

Levy smiled at her friend; she almost felt guilty about what she was going to ask next.

"Lulu… can you take me to Gajeel?"

"Eh?"

* * *

Levy's heart nearly shattered at the sight of her precious dragon; he was unconscious with some bandages wrapped here and there, and his face seemed paler than normal.

He looked peaceful, at least.

"I… I'm sorry, Lulu, but can I have a moment alone?"

Lucy nodded in understanding before gently helping Levy to a chair. Once she was safely situated, Lucy left to check on Laxus.

Levy slowly reached out for Gajeel's hand.

"Hey, Gajeel. It… it's the shrimp."

He gave no response, not that she expected one. Honestly, it felt weird referring to herself as "shrimp." Yet, after everything that had happened, she almost missed hearing him call her by that nickname. Even if she hated it.

"I guess we caused a lot of trouble back there. But Master says that everyone's working hard to fix things. And soon everything will be back to the way it was."

She had to believe it was true; she had to have faith that Gajeel would come back to her. Tearfully, she held his hand with both hands, and she raised it to her forehead. She was unable to hold back her sobs.

"You better come back… Stupid Gajeel."

* * *

About a week passed. Laxus had finally woken up, though he was beyond pissed.

"So that blasted dragon actually knocked _me_ out?! And the _brat_ managed to stop it? Geez, why did everything go so wrong?!"

It was obvious why he was so angry; he wanted to be the town hero. Now that his plan failed, he would have to work harder to impress Mirajane. Lucy and Levy giggled to themselves about it. His grandfather soon decided if he had the strength to complain, then he had the strength to work.

That left Gajeel as the remaining patient.

Levy had volunteered to keep an eye on him, and she stayed with him, just as Lucy had for her. She looked down at his sleeping form.

"Come on, you big lug. I can't believe you let Laxus wake up before you."

She knew better than to cry; tears would not wake him up. If they could, Gajeel would have woken up long ago. Still, she truly missed him; she longed to see those ruby eyes once again.

She leaned back against the chair; it had been days since she got a proper sleep, and after dealing with Laxus, she was exhausted. Her eyelids were getting heavy again, but she fought back to stay awake.

' _I want to be here when he wakes up! No sleeping!'_

Suddenly, it happened.

Gajeel's hand twitched, then his eyebrow. Soon there was a soft groan as his closed eyes scrunched.

Levy gasped, "Ga-Gajeel?! Are you awake?"

The dragon man opened his eyes; he looked around, obviously dazed and confused. Finally, his eyes locked on Levy. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes as she looked down at him.

"About time, you big idiot!"

He said nothing; he only stared at her. Something seemed to click in his mind, and without warning, he sprang into a sitting position and held her in an iron embrace. His body was trembling, and this time, Levy returned the affection. She stroked his hair and whispered repeatedly, "It's okay. I'm okay."

* * *

Gajeel's consciousness did not last long. It was not too surprising; he obviously needed more rest. Levy still came to check on him, though now that he was awake, she went to help Master Makarov and Porlyusica in whatever way she could.

Once she got a look around the village, she was truly impressed with the teamwork. She also was extremely thankful that some mages knew some wood magic; that really came in handy with the construction. Other mages were using their specialties to help out: Jet was using his speed to retrieve materials for others in a flash; Droy's plants were helpful for holding beams in place before they were properly secured; and Levy noticed quite a few mages using strength enhancement spells to help with carrying. (She noticed Laxus boasting that his strength was all natural.)

Finally, Levy arrived at the shelter.

"Anything I can do?"

Porlyusica turned to her. "I see you are on your feet. Fine. You can help Wendy by bringing in some fresh water. Then, I need you to fetch some herbs for me, since you are aware of their locations."

The blue-haired mage nodded eagerly before getting straight to work. It really felt good to do her part, especially after being held up for so long.

Porlyusica handed Levy a written list of herbs she needed. Luckily, she only needed the basics: no bluff-climbing this time!

She dashed away with her basket, and in no time, she was back in the forest. As she walked, she could still see some of the damage from Gajeel's transformation. Memories of that day kept reappearing in nightmares for her; just how long would this pain last?

"No," she assured herself. "I shouldn't worry about that right now. Gajeel is back to normal; it's all over."

"Yes, I suppose that's true."

Levy's blood ran cold. Apparently, she was not alone.

' _I completely forgot about him.'_

She stepped back as a familiar, shadowed figure approached her.

"It is over. All because of you, Miss McGarden."

"… Jose."

* * *

 ** _Hee hee! Did you think I was done? ;)_**


	13. Chapter 13

Levy stood frozen, calculating her next move. Before her stood "Master" Jose Porla, and she was alone. The odds were not exactly in her favor. Crazed or not, he was still a wizard saint, one with enough magic power to attempt controlling a dragon. Whatever came next, she had to be prepared.

The evil man raised his head, and Levy gasped as she looked into his eyes. Something was definitely wrong. The whites of his eyes had gone black, and his pupils had nearly vanished without a trace. It was almost as if he himself had been possessed.

' _I wouldn't doubt that theory. It's possible his dark magic has taken control of his mind.'_

That fact alone darkened the already grim situation the young apprentice was facing.

"It's all because of you," Jose growled. "All of the destruction and turmoil… you are the one at fault!"

"Huh?"

Levy had not anticipated that accusation. How could he possibly pin the blame on her?

"You are not thinking clearly, Master Jose. You are the one who attempted to control Metalicana. Your magic failed and sent him into a rampage. Don't you dare say the fault is mine, when it is clearly yours!"

He flinched at her declaration, and Levy prayed that her words had reached him. However, as he started to laugh uncontrollably, Levy could feel her blood grow cold.

"My magic failed? MY MAGIC FAILED? My spell was flawless! I transformed that beast into a weapon of destruction! That was all my doing!"

Before her eyes, a dark, purple aura began to surround them, killing some of the trees in the process. Jose just stood there, laughing and gloating, while Levy could not help but look around frantically in confusion as well as panic. What was happening?

She faced Jose once more the moment he went silent.

"My plan… my magic… everything was perfect… until you interfered."

"Interfered? You dragged me into it when you kidnapped me! All I did was watch as you tormented my friend!"

"IT WAS YOUR PRESENCE THAT TRIGGERED THAT DRAGON'S RESISTANCE!" Jose shouted, causing Levy to shrink back. Whatever courage she had before had dwindled into nothing. This man was like a ticking time bomb!

The aura around them strengthened as Jose stepped towards her.

"I am not certain what you did, but you made the dragon resist. It broke free from my control, and now my ambition has been shattered. I am a laughingstock of the magical world, and you are the one to blame, Levy McGarden. For that reason, you are to be punished."

Levy knew she had to think fast. She kept her hands at her sides so Jose would be less likely to notice what she was about to do.

' _Right now, this is the only thing I can think of that will work against darkness.'_

She had used this spell before, and she knew it would work. Just as Jose was about to unleash his magic, Levy wrote a word.

 ** _LIGHT!_**

As it had done against Gajeel, the magic word shone with a blinding brightness. The darkness dissipated while Jose attempted to shield his eyes. Levy took the opportunity to make restraints to hold him in place. Then, she made a run for it.

' _I'm not fully recovered. I can't do this on my own. With luck, I can find help before he catches up to me.'_

Was it risky to head towards the village? Probably. But Levy knew her friends were there, and they were the ones she could count on.

She tried to focus on the path as she ran. Tripping was not ideal for this situation. However, she missed the magical presences that were closing in on her.

Without warning, purple phantoms were flying around her. Completely taken by surprise, Levy released a short scream. What sort of magic could summon such creatures?!

Whatever they were, they were evil. That much she knew.

As some of the phantoms dived right at her, Levy tried her magic again, hoping to fight them off. However, she realized her efforts were in vain. Even if the creatures were attacked and destroyed, they simply reappeared as though nothing had happened.

At that moment, Levy wished she had more combat skills. It was difficult to face so many opponents at once. She wondered to herself how protecting the villagers against Gajeel seemed so much simpler now.

Levy was exhausted, but she could still fight. She inhaled deeply.

"I am not giving up! There is no way I am going to lose to you!"

That was when one of the phantoms appeared from behind. Before Levy could react, the creature flew right through her!

For a second, Levy felt nothing. Were the creatures unable to do physical harm? Had she really been afraid of simple apparitions?

She soon realized these phantoms were not just illusions. Levy suddenly felt sick and dropped to her knees, panting for air.

' _What is this? It feels like…'_

"All of your magical power has been drained from your body."

Levy forced her head to turn to face the newcomer. Jose had broken free from the restraints, and now he was calmly walking towards her helpless body. With a light kick, he knocked Levy flat on her back.

"Did you really think your adorable words would be enough to stop a wizard saint of my caliber? Pathetic child, I almost pity you."

He raised his hand in the air, and a black dagger formed from his magic. He gripped the handle tightly, raising it above the little mage.

"Allow me to put you out of your misery."

Visions of Levy's life flashed before her eyes. She could see her friends from the village: she saw Lucy, Wendy, Porlyusica, and Master Makarov. She even saw Laxus at one point.

The last vision was of her dragon. Its back was turned to her, and it shifted into the form of Gajeel. When he noticed her, he turned with a stupid smirk on his face, laughing in his unique, annoying way.

" _Gihihi!"_

As Jose's dagger began to follow its trajectory, Levy could only brace herself for the finishing blow.

' _I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you. Please… stay safe and live peacefully... my dragon.'_

Suddenly a yellow blast fired, knocking the blade from Jose's hand, destroying it in the process. Jose turned towards the source of the magic, only to be blown back by a second blast. Skidding to a halt, he glared at his opponent:

Makarov Dreyer.

"I see my cute apprentice has given you a run for your money," the old man chuckled. "To think, you had to resort to summoning an entire army of phantoms to take down one child."

Jose snarled in offense. "I don't need phantoms to be victorious! I certainly don't need them to take down that little girl!"

"So you say. I may be old, but I'm not blind." Makarov grinned as he gestured to the surrounding ghouls.

Levy was astonished. How could he joke around so calmly? Was he not aware of what Jose's creatures could do?

"Master, be careful, they-"

"I know, my child. If any of these phantoms touch you, your energy will be drained instantly. I assume he caught you with that old trick?"

"Y-yes," Levy admit, ashamed of herself for not knowing any better.

Makarov turned to face her, offering a warm smile.

"Not to worry. Let your parent settle this like an adult."

Levy couldn't resist smiling back. Even in the darkest hour, Makarov had a way of revealing a joking nature.

"Okay," Levy nodded. "I believe in you."

Makarov grunted before he turned to face Jose. All traces of kindness had vanished from his features; what remained was pure fury.

The dark mage rose to his feet, humored by the fellow saint.

"Ah, so you intend to face me? This shall be interesting. I've always wanted prove just who among us is the strongest!"

Makarov closed his eyes in sorrow. "I have always thought of you as a powerful comrade, my old friend. Now that I have seen what you have become…"

Master's eyes shot open as a small yellow orb appeared at his fingers. The force of his power was enough to cause bits of gravel from the ground to float in the air.

"It is time to put an end to all of this!"

Jose cackled at Makarov's threat. "And just how do you intend to fulfill that promise? We may be equal in magical skill, but I have the ability to be heartless, which makes me much stronger!"

Levy stared with wide eyes as large purple blast of magic headed straight for her master. However, Master Makarov's light magic appeared, stopping Jose's attack. The magic the two saints were complete opposites: it was a clear battle of darkness versus light.

With every collision of magic, the earth shook. Levy attempted to brace herself, but she was still unable to move.

One of Jose's blasts strayed away from its intended target, nearly hitting Levy! She gasped as a bright magic circle appeared in front of her, serving as a shield. The apprentice smiled to herself. Her master truly was incredible. He had not broken so much as a sweat.

"I have had enough of this. Jose, you will kneel before me."

Jose raised an eyebrow. "Kneel? Before you? Don't make me laugh!

"I am not done. You will kneel before me and apologize for corrupting a peaceful creature, for destroying Magnolia, and for all of the pain you have caused my dear apprentice! I will give you to the count of three."

"What's this? Do you think I will fall for such a childish trick?" Jose laughed as he began to power up his own spell. Makarov, however, held his ground as light began surrounding his body.

"One."

Purple magic began to swirl at Jose's hand. "Do you really expect me to apologize when I have done absolutely nothing wrong?"

Makarov's eyes glowed white as he brought his hands together.

"Two."

Levy watched as both men continued to charge their magic. Makarov's light was intensifying by the second, and Levy swore she saw the forms of skulls within Jose's magic!

"If anything, I have achieved a great feat!" Jose shouted. "Name one wizard who is capable of controlling a mighty dragon!"

"Three."

"I am the most powerful wizard in the kingdom! Why would I ever stoop so low as to concede and kneel to someone like you?! You should be kneeling before _me_! Now, you and your _precious_ apprentice are going to die!"

"Time's up."

Jose unleashed his spell, and two deadly blasts of dark magic headed straight for Master Makarov.

They never met their target.

Just as the magic was about to reach him, a shining light surrounded Master Makarov, causing the dark magic to disappear completely. Jose stood frozen as Makarov hovered at the center of the blinding magic.

"I invoke… **Fairy Law**!"

Levy knew of that spell, but it was the first time she had witnessed it first hand. This was a legendary spell that used sacred light to vanquish darkness. It only affects those whom the caster sees as an enemy. Which was bad news for Jose. Levy watched in awe as the phantoms around them disintegrated; this time, they did not return.

The light remained for some time. Once it had finally dimmed, it revealed Jose. He was still on his feet. His eyes were frozen wide, his once dark hair had turned completely gray, and he was at a loss for words. Levy could make out some frightened whimpering, but that was about it. He would remain in that state for some time.

Makarov returned to the ground, glaring at Jose. "You will never bother this village again, Jose. I am sure the council will be interested to hear about your 'feats'."

The little old man turned away, walking back to where he had left Levy. She looked at her master with watery eyes as his smile returned. In a flash, he went from a dangerous opponent to a cheerful father figure.

"I think we've had enough fun for one day. Let's head back to the village. Laxus can easily gather what Porlyusica needs. I'm sure the old bag will understand."

Levy nodded slowly before attempting to return to her feet. She almost managed to stand, but she lost feeling in her legs and began to stumble. Luckily, Makarov used his magic to increase his size slightly in order to support her.

To be on the safe side, Makarov cast a spell that trapped Jose inside a barrier. It would hold until he summoned Fried to create a more effective cage. Once the spell was set, the two began the slow journey back to Magnolia.

* * *

As they neared the village, Makarov paused as he noticed tears falling from the little fairy's eyes.

"What's wrong, child?"

Levy jumped, realizing she had been caught. Frantically wiping the tears away, she managed to give a small smile. "It's nothing, Master."

Makarov shook his head. He stopped walking and lowered Levy to sit on the ground before he returned to his original size.

"Now child, I have known you for far too long to fall for that sad excuse of a lie. Tell your mentor what is on your mind."

Levy sighed. There was no point in arguing with him. "It's just… I know I have a long way to go with my training. I still can't defend myself. If you hadn't come, Master… I would be dead now. I'm really no good to anyone."

She was doing her best to fight off the tears, but when Master started chuckling, she couldn't help but get upset.

"Master, I'm being serious!"

The old man grinned at his tearful apprentice. "No good to anyone? Can you hear what you are saying? What about the entire village you protected from a rampaging dragon?"

Caught off-guard, Levy stared blankly as his words sank in. Makarov had stopped laughing, now, and he was facing her with all seriousness.

"My child, I have been at this magic game for more years than I can count. You are still in the prime of your youth; there's no need to rush. Besides, seeing as you managed to _tame_ a dragon on your own, you will go far."

Levy did not miss the glint in the man's eyes as he emphasized the word "tame." Realizing the double meaning, her cheeks became rather rosy as her entire face felt as if it were on fire.

"Master, it's not like that!" she denied.

The old man snickered in response. His apprentice truly was adorable.


	14. Chapter 14

The return to the village was a tad awkward, seeing as the two mages were slowly shuffling their way through the streets. A few onlookers would stop and stare, but Makarov would offer a nod and a smile, assuring them that everything was fine.

Their first destination was the shelter, in order to notify Porlyusica. The tired old woman was about to give the lazy apprentice a good scolding for taking her sweet time, but the words died in her throat once she observed the girl's state.

"I suppose you have a decent explanation for this."

Makarov chuckled as he assisted Levy to the nearest seat. "Perhaps later on. First, I need you to take a look at Levy's condition. I have some urgent matters to attend to."

Levy remained silent, mentally noting that those "urgent matters" had to do with Jose. She had no desire to think about what happened back in the forest. However, she knew she would have to tell a few certain people at one point.

With one last smile to his apprentice, Makarov left the shelter, and the old healer began her assessment.

Shortly after starting, Porlyusica called for Wendy, who rushed over without hesitation. Her eyes were filled with shock and sympathy at the sight of her, yet she said nothing. Instead, she looked up at her teacher, who gave her a nod. This time, her magic was needed.

Wendy closed her eyes and held out her hands, which were glowing with a pale blue light. Slowly, Levy could feel her body become more at ease as the pain faded away.

"OH MY GOD! LEVY, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!"

The little mage turned her head to see Lucy running to her. She kneeled in front of her, eyes frantically gazing over her body.

"What the heck were you doing?! You're barely healed from a near-death encounter with a _dragon_ , and now you're injured again? Seriously, do you _hunt_ for danger?"

Levy winced at the outburst. "Lulu, I'll be fine. I just ran into some trouble in the forest."

"By 'trouble', you mean a dark magic wielder," Wendy interjected. The glow of her hands disappeared as she looked Levy in the eyes.

"I had to remove the traces of dark magic; whatever spell you encountered, it was trying to drain your energy. That explains why you feel so exhausted."

Lucy gaped in disbelief. "Wait, so you were hit by dark magic?! When?! Where?! How did-"

Levy grabbed Lucy's shoulder, prompting her to hold her tongue. "Listen. I… I'll explain later. But right now, as Wendy pointed out, I'm exhausted. Can you take me back to Porlyusica's?"

The blonde bit her lip, obviously aware that her friend was hiding something. Still, she made no argument and helped Levy to her feet. The blue-haired mage smiled gratefully at her two friends.

"Thank you, both. Sorry for using up your magic, Wendy."

The young healer beamed. "There's nothing to be sorry for. I just wanted to help. Just remember to come back tomorrow so I can check you again, to be on the safe side."

Levy nodded, feeling somewhat proud of Wendy's professionalism. "Right. I'll see you then."

With that said, Lucy and Levy made the journey back to Porlyusica's hut.

* * *

Levy may have said that she was exhausted, and she truly felt that way. However, she couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she would see visions of Jose and his phantoms. Just when was the nightmare going to end?

' _Jose is gone. Master took care of him. It's safe. You're safe._ _ **You. Are. Safe**_ _.'_

Her metal assurances did no good. There was no way she would be sleeping anytime soon.

Levy sat up and threw her legs to the side of the bed. Lucy had left already, so there wasn't anyone to talk to. But if she returned to the village, no doubt she would get scolded if Master or the girls saw her.

' _I guess I could check on Gajeel.'_

She did not have the energy to conjure up some iron, so she decided that the time had come for Gajeel to get accustomed to human food. At least she knew how to cook without help from magic.

It wasn't long before Levy had a small meal prepared on a tray. With a proud smile, Levy quietly carried the food and a cup of water to Gajeel's temporary room. He was sound asleep when she entered, so she carefully placed the tray on a small table near the bed, just so he had something to eat when he woke.

A rough grunt sounded from beside her. Levy jumped and turned around to see Gajeel staring at her. Her face was flushed from the surprise, and she wondered just how long he had been watching her. She turned away from him, focusing on the tray in front of her.

"Sorry, I just wanted to bring you some food. Did I wake you?"

"Nah, I was awake already. Just bored outta my mind is all."

"I see."

After taking a calming breath, Levy concluded that turning tail and running from the room was out of the question. Despite the strange fluttering sensation she felt inside, she took a seat on the stool next to Gajeel's bed, fidgeting as she awaited what would come next.

In her mind, she wasn't sure what to say or do. Before, conversing with the big lug had been so simple. But now that she knew the truth about his identity, it was difficult just to be around him. Should she confront him about it? Or play dumb and pretend that nothing happened? He could get angry and leave her forever no matter what she did. What's the best course of action? Her thoughts just wouldn't stop racing.

"Oi."

Levy's posture instantly straightened once Gajeel had called her attention. "I-I'm here!"

Gajeel was wearing a strange expression, as if he was feeling… uncomfortable. Levy watched curiously as he rubbed the back of his neck, looking anywhere but at her.

"I, uh… I just wanted to… _Ugh_ , I ain't the best with words, but… I caused trouble for ya... yer home got wrecked, and I… _hurt_ you. So, what I'm tryin' to say is…"

The giant took a deep breath before looking her in the eye.

"I'M TRYIN' TO SAY THAT I'M SORRY!"

Levy gaped in surprise. What had gotten into him? Was it really so hard for him to apologize that he had to shout it out? She erupted in a fit of giggles before she could stop it.

"WHAT THE HELL IS SO FUNNY?"

"Sorry, sorry! I-I know… this isn't a laughing matter, but… your face right now, it's so… I can't even find a word to describe it!"

Gajeel blinked in surprise. Slowly, a ghost of a smile appeared on his face. "A bookworm like you can't find a word? That's pretty serious."

"Yeah, I guess so," Levy laughed as she wiped a tear from her eye. It was so relieving to know he wasn't angry with her. He seemed to be back to normal.

Suddenly, Gajeel's little speech replayed in her mind, with one word sticking out from the rest. Levy cautiously looked up at Gajeel.

"Wait. When you say 'trouble', do you mean—"

"I mean when I transformed. There's no way you didn't figure it out."

Both mages remained silent. They had now officially acknowledged that they both knew what Gajeel really was: a dragon that had destroyed Magnolia. With the truth out in the open, neither of them knew how to proceed. Levy stared at her lap, gripping the fabric of her skirt.

"How... how much do you remember?"

"…My memory of what happened is pretty blurry. Once that guy began his spell, it was almost like I went unconscious. I can only remember bits and pieces. Maybe I'm imagining it, but I'm pretty sure you were callin' me over and over. I couldn't hear anything; I just remember yer face. I guess I was sorta intimidatin', eh, Shrimp?"

"Yeah, you were. But let me make one thing clear: I wasn't scared of you. I was just a bit desperate, I guess. All I wanted was to protect the village and save you."

"That's not yer job."

"I never said it was."

Gajeel folded his arms, obviously losing what little patience he had. "Ya know, if ya keep taking on problems you can't handle, yer gonna get yourself killed. Like when that lightnin' magic hit ya before…"

Levy gasped. "You remember that?"

"Not that I want to. To be honest, I'd rather forget I ever saw that."

The girl had no idea what to say. Did seeing her get hurt really cause so much distress for him?

"Gajeel—"

"I don't need a shrimp like you steppin' where you don't belong!" he suddenly shouted. He turned to face her, fury burning in his ruby eyes.

"Ya got hurt because ya tried to protect me like a damned idiot! I'm a freaking dragon, dammit! Ya don't think I can take a hit?!"

Levy remained silent. Despite his terrifying outburst, she felt calm: hurt by his words, of course, but not afraid.

"No," she stated quietly. "I'm fully aware what you're capable of. I've known you long enough to understand that much."

"Then you should mind your own damn business!"

"I hate to break it to you, but that's not an option for me!"

To say Gajeel was surprised would be an understatement. Apparently, Levy had reached her breaking point. She jumped to her feet, tears in her eyes as she shouted at him.

"Do have _any_ idea how _terrified_ I was? The entire time, I was worried about _you_. I knew you didn't want to harm anyone. That's not you. So I fought to protect the village and, more importantly, to protect _you_ , even if you didn't want my help. How could I possibly stand by when you were in pain? I couldn't run away even if I wanted to! I never want to see you suffer like that again! So go ahead, yell at me! Call me stupid, because I know what I did was reckless. But I don't regret it! I never will!"

Gajeel was left utterly speechless as Levy whirled around and stalked out of the room.

* * *

Levy felt awful.

She stood alone in her room, gazing at the stars through the window. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't stop thinking about her argument with Gajeel.

He had every right to be upset with her. She understood that. Everyone else she knew had already given her a good scolding. Still, couldn't he appreciate her help even a little bit?

Maybe that was why she had lost it. She had truly done her best to stay calm, but his words tore her heart in two. There was no way a stupid hardhead like him could ever understand the way she felt. She leapt into danger for _his_ sake. It was all because she _cared_ about him. Why couldn't he see that?

The girl felt so conflicted. Every word she had said was true: she would never regret fighting for him. Yet at the same time, she felt guilty for yelling at him.

Levy sighed for the umpteenth time.

She couldn't rest. She couldn't work. Even her books had failed to bring any comfort. Normally she could easily get lost in the fantasy world of fiction, but her mind was too clouded to enjoy any of it.

Suddenly, a new shadow caught her attention. Levy glanced over her shoulder to see Gajeel standing in the entrance to her room. It was a brief acknowledgement to his presence before she turned back to the window.

"You should be in bed."

"So should you."

Not wanting to start another fight, Levy held her tongue and continued to stare at the sky. Behind her, she heard Gajeel's heavy footsteps as he walked forward. In a couple of steps, he was standing beside her.

"I'm not going to apologize," Levy stated.

"I know."

The two stood in awkward silence. Levy stared up at him, trying to decipher his motive for entering her room, but she couldn't think of what his reason could possibly be.

Eventually, Gajeel spoke up.

"Listen. I know I should be grateful for yer help, but the thought of you gettin' hurt because of a piece of scrap like me pisses me off."

"A piece of scrap? Is that how you see yourself? Gajeel, I—"

"Let me finish. I ain't always gonna be around to protect ya, Shrimp, and that annoys the hell out of me. I couldn't protect ya from myself, and I couldn't protect ya when that nutcase attacked ya again."

"Huh? What are you—?"

Gajeel turned, facing her directly.

"You came in contact with dark magic. Don't try lyin' to me, cuz there's no escaping a dragon's senses. I could smell it on ya the moment ya walked in my room."

Levy flinched, knowing she had been caught. So, she attempted to brush it off as if it were nothing. "It's fine. I just… bumped into Jose in the forest."

Gajeel grabbed onto her shoulders. His grip was near painful, and his eyes peered straight into hers.

"What the hell made ya think you could face that psychopath on yer _own_?!" he growled.

"Hey, _he_ was the one who approached _me_!" Levy countered. "It's not like I was looking for him!"

Her anger from before was returning ten-fold. How could he even _suggest_ that she would _intentionally_ pull such a stunt? She was about to give him another piece of her mind, but once she noticed the way he looked over her body with concern, her eyes softened. Levy offered a small smile as she brushed his hands off of her.

"Wendy fixed me up. I'm okay. Really. I mean, I know I was out of my league, and it was a close call. But Master found me just in time. He put Jose in his place; you don't have to worry about him anymore."

"It's not him I'm worried about."

"Then what's got you so concerned?"

Levy had no time to react as Gajeel threw his arms around her, clutching her small body tightly against his.

"I thought you had died in my arms that day," Gajeel murmured. "I ain't gonna let that happen again. You are never allowed to pull dangerous stunts when I'm not around, ya hear me?"

As she let his words sink in, Levy sighed and returned the embrace.

"Sorry, ya big lug, but I can't make that promise."

His grip tightened slightly. "Why the hell not?"

Levy pulled away to look up at him. "Because I'm the same as you. I'm not going to let anything hurt you. All I can do is promise to do everything in my power to stay with you."

Gajeel stared down at her with wide eyes. "You… you…"

Suddenly, he sighed in defeat, and a small smirk appeared on his face. "You really are somethin', ya know that?"

The little mage grinned. "Yeah. I know that."

Both of them laughed at her cocky comment. Levy found herself so happy to hear his unique laughter again.

"Gihihiii!"

Levy looked up at him when his laughter died down. She was reluctant to leave his arms, and Gajeel made no move to let her go. Levy caught how his eyes seemed to flicker between her eyes and her lips. Slowly, he leaned forward. Levy didn't fight it. She leaned in as well, closing her eyes as her lips met his for the first time.


	15. Chapter 15

Ever since Levy returned from her encounter with Jose, Gajeel refused to let her out of his sight. Instead, he insisted that she had to stay with him until he was fully recovered. As a result, Levy spent most of her time with Gajeel, and the only other people she got to see were Lucy and Wendy, who came to check on them now and then. There _was_ one time when Master Makarov appeared, though he wore a strange look on his face as his gaze moved between the two. Levy knew exactly what was on the old man's mind, so she was very relieved when he left without a word.

To be perfectly honest, Gajeel's territorial attitude was a bit annoying; she barely had any time to herself thanks to him! He even insisted on being in the room when Lucy came over, so there went any chance of a private conversation!

Yet somehow, there were moments when Levy found his annoying behavior to be a little cute. Dragons _did_ tend to be overly protective of their treasures, according to legends and fairy tales. The idea of being Gajeel's "treasure" was enough to make her face flush in embarrassment, but that kiss from before had to mean something, right? It had been a couple of days since it happened, and that question had been weighing on Levy's mind the entire time.

Of course, the kiss was never brought up. She surprisingly did not tell Lucy about it, though that was for good reason. Even if Gajeel wasn't around to eavesdrop, there was no telling how her friend would react to the news. Most likely, she would instantly start prying about how far their relationship has gone, and Levy was not in the mood to deal with that.

Seeing as she had to find some other source of amusement, the little bookworm decided to use her house arrest to learn some more about dragons, with Gajeel as her reluctant reference.

So here she was, sitting in the front room with the dragon man. In return for his knowledge, she offered him some snacks, which he was currently munching on as she questioned him. Mostly, her inquiry involved testing the accuracy of the books she had read in the past. Much to Levy's astonishment, Gajeel patiently answered question after question, satisfying her hunger for information.

"Next question. Let's see… Ah! What about immortality?"

"Myth."

"Eeeeh?" Levy whined.

"Yep. No dragon that I know of has lived hundreds of years like yer little fairy tale books."

"But how can that be?" Levy protested. "Our records have shown that each dragon has been around for centuries, including you, _Metalicana_!"

Gajeel scowled in displeasure, obviously detesting being called by his dragon name. "That's nothin' but a title. I inherited that when my old man died."

"You inherited your name?"

"That's how it works for dragons. Those 'legends' you humans have are about the title of each dragon. It's kind of like being the head of a clan."

Levy nodded eagerly at the revelation. "I see. So is it the first-born who gets the title?"

"We never know," Gajeel replied. "Once the holder passes on, its up to fate to choose the successor. There's a whole a magical ritual involved."

The girl clasped her hands together in excitement. "Oh, that sounds amazing!"

"It's nothing special," Gajeel murmured as he chomped on a fresh piece of iron.

Levy froze in her glee, realizing that the ritual was a double-edged sword. True, it was a magical event to welcome a new dragon, but it was also a sorrowful goodbye to the predecessor. In Gajeel's case, it meant losing his father. With a sinking feeling in her gut, she regretted ever asking about it. No doubt it was bringing up some painful memories for Gajeel.

The giant noticed the change in the girl's mood. He smirked to himself, knowing exactly what the little fairy was thinking. She really was a softie.

Levy jumped when she felt Gajeel's large hand on her head. He was smirking down at her, signaling that he was fine. She smiled in return before moving on to her next question.

"Okay, so how are you able to turn into a human? Are you only half-dragon or something?"

"Who knows?"

Levy blinked in surprise at Gajeel's simple response. "Huh? What do you mean by that?"

The dragon-man shrugged. "I mean I have no idea who my mother is. Never met her. I don't know if she was a dragon or a human."

"Seriously? She could have been a human?"

The apprentice could not believe what she was hearing! There was a possibility that Gajeel's mother was a human? She had always believed her relationship with Gajeel was a one-in-a-million situation!

"Believe it or not, Shorty," Gajeel explained, "it's not that rare for a dragon to be with a human. If my mother _was_ a human, she must've died when I was a newborn, or it's likely she took off when she figured out my old man and I were dragons."

"Really? How would she not have known your father was a dragon? Wouldn't that be obvious?"

"All dragons have a human form, Shrimp. Think of it as camouflage or somethin'. It's how we survive. Beasts like us can't wander around freely without attracting heaps of attention, ya know."

Levy thought about that for a moment. "I suppose you have a point. I can't imagine a particularly warm welcome if a dragon appeared in a human village."

"Exactly," Gajeel grunted. "That's why we hafta transform to blend in."

The girl nodded in understanding. "Alright, I think I get it. So, how long are you able to hold your human form?"

"I can stay in whatever form I choose for as long as I want," Gajeel asserted. "It's all about preference. Some dragons spend more time as humans than others. Doesn't change much; we still have our powers, and it's not like we can't change back.

Some dragons are stubborn to remain "pure-blooded", so they avoid other species, but there are plenty of dragons who have mated with humans." Oddly, Levy noticed that Gajeel was slightly blushing at the idea of "mating".

 _'I'll have to ask about that later.'_

"Well, what about the children? Would they be born human or as dragons?"

The iron man spluttered at her brazen question. "Why the hell does that matter?!"

"For starters, it affects how they are born," Levy replied, completely unashamed. "Aren't dragons born from eggs? So the species would affect the development and birthing process."

Gajeel's blush deepened drastically. He was clearly very uncomfortable with the direction this conversation was going.

"I guess… Ugh! You're making my brain hurt, Shorty!"

The girl flinched at his outburst, but her intellectual curiosity helped her to stand her ground. "Why is that question so hard to answer?"

"We don't think about if we are originally human or dragon! We just have two forms, and that's it! End of story!"

"Okay, I get it!" Levy angrily returned. "There's no need to yell at me!"

Both huffed, a bit miffed with each other. Sure, there was a chance that she had been a bit pushy with her questions, but he could have easily told her to stop in a kinder manner!

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Gajeel getting up.

"That's it, I gotta get out of here."

Skeptically, Levy raised an eyebrow. "And where do you plan to go?"

"Don't know. Just need to spread my wings."

Levy's brown eyes widened as she contemplated what that implied. He wasn't actually planning on _transforming_ , was he?!

The man of her thoughts grunted. "I know what yer thinking, Shrimp. Yes, I'm gonna fly for a bit. Got a problem with that?"

"As a matter of fact, I do!" Levy cried as she jumped to her feet. "What if someone sees you? We don't need to get the villagers worked up again. Not everyone knows that Gajeel Redfox is a dragon. They only know we were recently attacked by one! Who knows what they'll think if they see you!"

Gajeel glared at her. "Who gives a damn?! They can think what they want; they don't know nothin' about me!"

Levy couldn't take it anymore. The rage within her was building, even as Gajeel turned to march out the door. Without thinking, she charged.

"YOU. BIG. IDIOT!"

The dragon man turned around just in time to see Levy kick him in the face! The force of the impact had actually managed to knock him down!

' _Where the hell did that come from?!'_

Levy looked down at him with tears brimming in her eyes. "Listen. I never said you couldn't be a dragon ever again. I'm asking you to be more careful. We don't need any more wizards attacking you! So please… at least transform in the forest, okay?"

Gajeel could only stare at her in shock before the meaning of her words sunk in.

' _So she's still worried about me, eh?'_

The big lug grinned as he got up to his feet. "Gihi! Never knew you had that kind of power, Shrimp!"

"Shut up, or I'll kick you again!" Levy snapped.

Not wanting to give her the chance to try, Gajeel wrapped his arms around her. "I gotcha, Shorty. I'll make sure no one sees me."

Levy nodded, sighing in content. At least she had gotten her point across.

"Okay," Gajeel declared, "now that we got that straightened out, it's time to head out."

Without warning, he lifted the girl over his shoulder and carried her toward the forest.

"Hey! Why do I have to come along?!" the flustered fairy cried out, only to be answered by Gajeel's laughter.

"Gihihi!"

* * *

Levy continued to struggle against Gajeel's steel grasp to no avail. He just kept walking until they reached a familiar clearing deep within the forest. It was far enough from the village to remain unnoticed, yet there was enough space for him to take off with no trouble.

Gajeel lowered Levy to the ground and walked ahead, making sure there was enough space between them. The young bluenette watched in awe as Gajeel Redfox slowly shifted into her beloved dragon before her eyes.

Never before had Levy been so relieved to see the silver sheen of her dragon's scales.

' _He's back to normal. I'm so glad.'_

It was the first time had she witnessed the transformation first hand, but it was still a bit of a shock to admit that the iron dragon and the gruff human were one and the same.

Metalicana stood before her, tall and proud. She smiled as she braced herself for his takeoff. However, he did not move.

The dragon simply stood there, watching her expectantly. Levy stared back in confusion, and it only took a moment for her to realize what he wanted.

" _You coming, Shrimp?"_

Beaming, Levy dashed forward in delight. With some help from the dragon's tail, she soon was safely positioned on his back.

"Okay!" Levy proclaimed in excitement. "Let's go!"

The dragon smirked, spreading out his wings slowly. Levy pouted, knowing he was teasing her by making her wait.

"Come on! Let's g- OOOHHH!"

The stupid jerk cut her off mid-sentence with his take off! Levy gripped his scales for dear life as he made his ascent. Being the cocky dragon he was, he got very creative with his flight pattern. This time, however, Levy knew what his intentions were. She raised an eyebrow as she peered into one of his ruby eyes.

"Are you trying to show off again, you big lug?"

The dragon turned its head and looked back at her, sneering a little before laughing.

" _Gihihi!"_

Since he had been caught in the act, he decided to go easy on her. So instead of taking a thrilling ride with twists, turns, dives, and barrel rolls, they settled for a gentle glide around the area. Levy hummed as she took in the view, and she leaned forward, snuggling up against the steel scales. Unbeknownst to her, the dragon was blushing at the unexpected affection.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set as Metalicana landed. Levy slid off of his back the moment he touched the ground, which allowed Gajeel to change back into his human form. Levy smiled up at him.

"I think it's safe to say you've recovered. I'm glad."

The proud man puffed his chest as he placed his fists at his hips. "Gihihi! Did you think I wouldn't?"

"No," Levy admitted, "not for a second."

Gajeel smirked down at her. Apparently, he had decided that now was a good time to capture her lips in a quick kiss, though Levy was not one to complain.

They stared at each other in contempt, trapped in their own little world.

"I…" Levy began, "Can I see you tomorrow? I'll come by the cave, and I can give you some more iron."

Gajeel remained silent, as if he had no idea what to say. Or rather, it was like he didn't know _how_ to say what he wanted.

"There's no point in going to that hole," Gajeel grunted. "I won't be there."

Levy's entire body froze, completely taken aback by his statement. "You won't? Why?"

"My den was practically located, Shrimp," he pointed out. "Even if that nutcase Jose never actually found it, he was close. Too close."

Those words were difficult for the girl to bear. Logically, she knew what had to be done. She just did not want to accept it.

"You… you're leaving?"

Levy bit her lip, desperately trying not to cry. There was no need for tears. This had to be done for Gajeel's protection. She could be strong for him. She had to be.

Separation would be painful. There was no doubt about that. Her heart was already missing him. But she could bear the pain, because she would never regret meeting Gajeel. Her life had changed so drastically after befriending her dragon, and thanks to him, she had found her true strength. Most importantly, she had loved him, and she would treasure those feelings for as long as she lived.

"So… where will you go?" she asked.

Gajeel rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, since a crazy old sorcerer is most likely gonna be ranting about me for a while, I think it's best to lay low and blend in."

Levy's heart skipped a beat. There was a possibility that she knew what he meant by 'blend in', but she refused to get her hopes up. Not yet.

"The only way I can blend in is if I… live in human form. And ya know, anyone with a brain would suspect that I moved on to a new location, so I doubt they'd expect me to stay near that trashy village of yours. Besides, you're the only human that can get me some top-quality iron, which I'll need to keep my strength up. I guess that's the only option I've got."

Levy had a feeling she knew what he was getting at, but she still doubted. It couldn't be true. Could it?

"Gajeel? Are you… are you asking to… _live_ with me?" Levy asked tentatively.

The poor man's nerves had tightened to the maximum, and he anxiously tried to take back what he had asked. "I mean, not like _that_! We don't have to live in the same house or nothin'! I can easily find my own place, and- !"

His nervous rambling came to a halt as Levy's tiny body embraced him.

"I would like it… if you stayed with me. I mean, who else would put up living with an iron-hearted jerk like you?"

Her words seemed a little insulting, but the tone of her voice was so playful that Gajeel thought his heart would stop right there. This little human was too cute for her own good, and the dragon could no longer imagine his life without her. He wanted to stay by her side. He wanted her to be _his_.

Accepting what he had to do, Gajeel broke the embrace. Levy could only look up at him curiously. There was a distinct red tint in his cheeks as his whole body tensed. With a loud gulp, Gajeel's gaze slowly moved to meet hers.

"Levy McGarden… will you be my mate?"

Tears pooled in her eyes as Levy gasped. For a few agonizing seconds, she couldn't speak. It was almost too much for Gajeel to bear. He was preparing himself to be rejected, to take it all back, but she surprised him. With the most beautiful smile Gajeel had ever seen, she whispered her answer.

"I will."


	16. Chapter 16

The days that followed Gajeel's proposal were pure bliss. Levy couldn't remember feeling so happy in her entire life! The closest thing would be the day when Makarov had first accepted her as his apprentice. Yet the feelings then compared to now were completely different. Her heart was filled with a fluttering exhilaration that would not die down! She had a future with Gajeel, and she eagerly looked forward to the life they would share.

What was truly shocking was Gajeel's drastic change in mood. Surprisingly, he was rather open about his glee, despite his rough personality. Lucy, Wendy, and Makarov had been scared stiff when he announced the big news. None of them had ever expected to see the dragon man gush in such a love-struck manner! Nonetheless, they offered congratulations. Lucy glomped her best friend in pure excitement, while Makarov teasingly used his magic to grow larger than Gajeel and trap him in a suffocating bear hug!

Regardless of the joy the two felt, the agreement to live together meant some life changes were in order. There was a possibility that Levy's home had been rebuilt, yet it was not an ideal location for them. First, the place's design and size had been meant for a single person. Second, it was risky to live within the village, for their own sake as well as the villagers'.

So, the decision had been made to make a new home in the forest. The house would still be close enough to Magnolia that they could easily commute on foot, yet had enough distance to secure their privacy. That sort of compromise was necessary: Levy didn't have the heart to abandon her duties as Makarov's apprentice; she loved being able to help the villagers. They were her family. Even Gajeel could admit that he wouldn't mind helping out as he did before.

The trick would be to keep his true form a secret, but according to Gajeel, it has been done in the past. Only a handful of people knew about Gajeel's identity, and they trusted them. So, the couple figured it would be safe to venture through the village now and then without attracting unwanted attention.

Since an agreement had been met about where to live, the next step was to visit the magical headquarters to formally request some assistance with building their new home. Gajeel had stubbornly insisted that he could manage by himself, but Levy doubted the dragon knew the first thing about building a human house.

Before entering the building, the young apprentice cautiously scanned the room. It appeared that Laxus was nowhere to be found. Secretly, Levy was beyond relieved. The two men had not interacted since the attack, and the last thing they needed was a confrontation between the lightning mage and the iron dragon.

It took little time to set up the request. Gajeel huffed, still claiming this was a waste of time. Levy could only sigh as Makarov chuckled to himself.

"I'm sure you're plenty capable, my boy, but it never hurts to accept help from others."

The iron-willed man was not moved, but Levy's comforting hand on his arm was enough to make him give in.

"Thank you so much, Master," said Levy. "We'll be back tomorrow for work."

"Glad to hear it," the old man grinned.

The couple turned to make their leave, only to freeze when Laxus stepped through the door. Levy's blood ran cold as she feared the worst. Maybe he wouldn't notice them?

That did not appear to be the case, since his eyes locked on to Gajeel almost immediately.

Time stopped in its tracks, and Levy's heart filled with dread. The two stood face-to-face, glaring at each other; not a single word was uttered.

They remained in a silent stare-down for a few agonizing seconds. Finally, Laxus let out a small grunt and brushed past Gajeel, plopping down in his usual chair as if nothing had happened. Dumbstruck, Levy and Gajeel shared a confused glance. That certainly was not the reaction they were expecting: wouldn't he have demanded a rematch or threaten him at the very least? But apparently Laxus had moved on. It was rather… _adult_ of him.

A cough sounded behind them, and the couple turned to face Master Makarov once again. "I beg your pardon, children, but I just remembered something very important. We will need to discuss this immediately."

Hopping off of his spot on the counter, he approached the questioning duo.

"Now," he began with a toothy smile, "when shall we hold the wedding?"

* * *

 _***Seven years later…***_

"Summon the power from yer gut! Breathe deep… Now blow it out!"

Following Gajeel's instructions, a young dragon threw its head back and released its very first Iron-Dragon Roar into the sky! The proud mentor punched his fist in the air.

"Alright! Not bad, kiddo!"

The little dragon beamed before shifting into the form of an excited, blue-haired girl.

Shutora Redfox mostly took after her mother in appearance. If it weren't for the fact her eyes were red like her father's, she could pass as her exact double!

"Wow, that was awesome, Papa! Did you see how strong I was?!"

Gajeel laughed as he ruffled her hair. "Gihihi! Sure did! Won't be long before you can give the Salamander a run for his money!"

And Gajeel truly believed that. Both of his children undergo daily training in their dragon forms, and he wanted them to be able to defend themselves when the time came. They were making good progress, which had the iron dragon puffing up with pride. Of course, it was to be expected: they were his offspring, after all!

Grinning, he turned his head and called his son.

"Yajeh! Yer up!"

A little boy with short blue hair and small, ruby eyes lazily glanced up from the book he was reading. "Don't wanna," he muttered before returning to his book.

In a flash, Gajeel was furiously towering over Yajeh, swiping the book from his hands. "What did you say, punk?!"

The now angry child jumped to his feet. "I said I don't wanna!" he shouted. "This is stupid!"

Gajeel's temper was rising at an alarming rate. His pride as a dragon ran deep, and he stubbornly insisted that his children should share that pride. So, whenever his son showed disinterest in his training, Gajeel's blood would boil.

Shutora observed as her father and brother entered yet another shouting match. She was not surprised in the slightest: this was actually pretty normal for them. Like father and son, they shared a similar personality, which resulted in them butting heads quite often.

The little girl smiled knowingly as she watched the argument; she knew the truth behind Yajeh's actions. Honestly, her twin didn't want to seem weak in front of their father. If he ever felt self-conscious or unsure, he would pull the "this is stupid" routine to get out of humiliating himself.

Shutora smiled and waved to her brother. "Come, Yajeh!" she encouraged. "You can do it!"

The boy pouted, but rose to his feet anyway. Not once had he ever said no to his sister. In seconds, he transformed into a dragon. Like his twin, his dragon form was covered in silver scales with a pale blue tint. The color difference between the children and the father was most likely because of their hair.

The little dragon marched to where his sister stood, with Gajeel following him. Just as he had done with Shutora, Gajeel did his best to instruct the dragon to complete an Iron-Dragon Roar. They had been practicing this move before, and it was only natural that it would not be successful on the first try. Yajeh gulped, took a deep breath, and let it loose. He managed to create the whirlwind, but it did not appear as big as his sisters'. The poor dragon slumped in defeat before peering nervously at his father.

Gajeel looked up at his son in silence. Then, to the boy's surprise, he grinned just as widely as he had for Shutora.

"See? What'd we tell ya? Ya did it, ya little punk!"

Yajeh's face brightened at his father's praise, and he transformed back into a human as Shutora ran up to hug him. The proud father placed his hands on their heads.

"Okay, I think we can call it quits for the day. Let's go pick up yer mom."

The twins cheered and dashed towards the village. Their speed took Gajeel by surprise, but he shook his head and laughed it off.

"Gihihi!"

* * *

"Levy! Is my order ready?"

"Yes, I just finished it!" Levy called as she scurried to the front of the shop. In her hands was a small jar. With a bright smile, she handed it to the customer. "Mix this powder in with the soil, and your crops will be securely rooted this year."

The farmer nodded in gratitude. "Thanks, Levy. See you soon!"

"Take care!" Levy waved.

Once the door closed, the apprentice sighed in relief. Thank goodness she had managed to finish that spell in time. That man had planned on planting soon, but the weather had unrooted his crops last season. Hopefully, he'd have a much better harvest, now.

"My, my," Makarov mused from the counter. "It seems that soon you don't need an old coot like me around. You handled that fine, my child."

Levy giggled, "While I appreciate the compliment, Master, I have to disagree with you. Things just wouldn't be the same if you weren't around."

The chimes of the door sounded again, and Levy turned to assist the next customer without hesitation. But these newcomers had something different in mind.

"GRANDPA MAKAROOOOV!"

A flash of blue flew through the door as Makarov was tackled to the ground by the Redfox twins! Levy gasped in shock as she hurried behind the counter.

"Oh my goodness, are you alright, Master?"

The old man grinned weakly from under the two bodies. "Yes, yes… I'm fine, child."

Levy was about to remove the twins, but Laxus was already reaching for them.

The troublemakers saw him coming, so they squealed in delight before running away.

"You brats!" the infuriated mage growled. "Get back here right now!"

While Laxus was occupied, Levy helped Makarov to his feet. The old man waved his hand, assuring her that he was fine. With that settled, Levy wrote the word " _STOP"_ , causing the children and Laxus to freeze in place. The large man growled in irritation, but Levy ignored him. Instead, she stood in front of her children and released the spell.

Knowing they were in trouble, the twins remained where they were. Laxus, on the other hand, shuffled back to his seat, grumbling about being woken up from his nap.

Levy placed her hands on her hips. "Yajeh. Shutora. What have I told you about running around in the shop? You also could have hurt Grandpa Makarov!"

The children looked at each other before bowing their heads in shame. "We're sorry, Mama," they said in unison.

The sight of them was making it difficult to stay angry, so Levy could only sigh as she knelt before them.

"That's good. Now, did you come here to pick me up?"

Instantly, the twins' moods brightened. "Yeah!" Shutora said. "We came with Papa!"

Yajeh stepped forward, reaching for his mother's arm. "Let's go home and make some supper, Mama! Please?"

"Okay, okay," Levy giggled. "Once your papa gets here, we'll all head home together."

Shutora beamed and danced around in excitement, being the ball of energy she was. Yajeh stayed put, biting his lip as if he wanted to say something. Levy tilted her head.

"What is it, Yajeh?"

The boy squirmed as a blush appeared on his cheeks. "C-can you help me practice some more magic? You promised, remember?"

The mage blinked at her son's bashful request, only to smile and pat his head. "Sure. I can squeeze in some lessons tonight."

Yajeh grinned just as Gajeel finally walked into the shop. Levy turned around to greet him. "And just where have you been? Our children came here unsupervised."

"Hey, do ya really expect me to run through the streets after 'em? They're fine; they know where they're going."

Levy shook her head. "That's just like you. You're so irresponsible."

Gajeel smirked, pointing at the silver band on his left hand. "But yer stuck with me, Shrimp!"

From the side, Makarov smiled in content as he watched the Redfox family's interaction. His cute apprentice had found her place in the world. What more could a master want for his student?

 **END**

* * *

 _ **Thanks to all who followed this incredible journey! I fell in love with this story, so I have mixed feelings about it coming to a close.**_

 _ **This was my first Fairy Tail fanfiction, so I tried my best to keep everyone in character as much as I could. I realize that I forgot to put this on the opening chapter:**_

 _ **I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL**_

 _ **Thanks again to all who reviewed! Hearing your opinions inspire me to keep writing and strive to improve! I appreciate it! :)**_


	17. BONUS CHAPTER!

_**It's meeeeeee!**_

 _ **I know the story came to an end, but there's one little detail I wanted to add:**_ _ **I just HAD to add one more beloved dragon from the series to my story. Can you guess who? ;)**_

 ** _Please enjoy this bonus chapter! :D_**

 ** _Note: this chapter occurs during the seven-year gap from the last chapter._**

* * *

It was quiet as dawn shown over the trees of the forest. The only sound that could be heard was the footsteps made by a single traveler in a red cloak. He journeyed alone and had come a long way, but he was determined to reach his destination as soon as possible: the village of Magnolia, or rather, what was left of it.

Most of the villagers were busy with the reconstruction of their home. However, many could not help but stop and stare as a cloaked newcomer sniffed the air repeatedly like some sort of bloodhound. Odd…

' _Come on! He's got to be around here somewhere!'_

* * *

Lucy's eye twitched in irritation. She had been so careful to control her actions for the sake of her family name, but this man… this man was swiftly driving her to the breaking point.

The poor girl had been minding her own business while heading to the magical headquarters to see if she could help in any way. To her dismay, a wizard stopped her in the middle of the streets, immediately attempting to flirt with her.

It was no surprise that the daughter of the Heartfila's would receive many requests from various suitors. However, regardless of the color of her hair, she was not as naive as people seemed to believe.

She knew better. They wanted her dowry. They wanted a trophy wife. They did _not_ want _her_. Without her status and looks, they would never look her way.

The man before her had become a regular, showing up with flowers and expensive gifts as attempts to woo her. He was a rather arrogant man, having that sort of air that said, "I am better than all of you." In his mind, he thought he would be able to woo any lady he chose. Little did he know of Lucy's lack of regard for material possessions. Fancy clothes and jewelry meant nothing to her, and she had no desire to be with a pretty face that had an ugly personality.

Perhaps that was why she had grown so attached to her friend Levy. That girl always treated her like everyone else, never tried to gain anything through the Heartfilia's wealth, and she shared her longing for excitement and adventure. But Lucy was still the daughter of a wealthy merchant, and that fact was difficult for others to overlook.

Which brought her thoughts back to the problem at hand. The wizard was currently holding her hand affectionately, pressing his lips repeatedly against her knuckles. Personally, the action made Lucy want to vomit, but she expertly remained composed.

With a flick of her wrist, she elegantly freed herself from his grasp.

"You forget yourself. We do not have the kind of relationship that allows you to be so overly familiar."

The arrogant man simply flipped his hair. "That is most certainly true, yet relationships are so easily changed. In time, you will learn to love me."

 _Learn_ to love him? Lucy had always been diligent in her academic studies, but she was positive she would fail _that_ course.

"I'll repeat myself. I. Am. Not. Interested."

Unfortunately, the wizard was not deferred. Instead, he moved to grab her arms, holding her in place as he peered into her eyes. Lucy did not miss the way he leaned forward, and knowing what he was plotting to do, the girl was prepared to go on the offensive!

' _Screw being "ladylike!'_

As luck would have it, Lucy did not need to raise a finger. Before she could even attempt to punch this guy's lights out, a red blur crashed into him! The stun from the blow was enough to make the wizard let go of the girl just in time, and the force was enough to knock him clear across the street!

Lucy curiously glanced at the ground before her. It appeared that the red blur was actually a man in a red cloak. From what she could see, he was wearing a small, open vest under the cloak, puffy white pants and sandals on his feet. His clothing was similar to that of a resident of the desert. The fall had caused his hood to come off, revealing a head of pink hair.

' _Well, that's peculiar,'_ Lucy mused. However, she was not the type to judge someone based on appearance. She hated it when people did that to her, after all.

The man sat on the ground and grumbled as he rubbed his head, clearly unaware of the collision that had just occurred.

"What just happened?" he muttered.

"You ran into someone," came an answer.

The stranger looked up to see Lucy standing next to him. She giggled, "You must have been in a hurry if you managed to knock yourself down, too!"

The blonde woman smiled as she offered her hand. The stranger gaped in slight confusion at first, staring at her, then at the hand. With a wide grin, he accepted her help, and she pulled him to his feet.

"Thank you for saving me," she stated.

"Huh? I didn't _save_ you."

"Actually, you did. That man has been rather pushy and would not leave me alone. If it weren't for you, he might have never backed off."

The stranger tilted his head. "Really?"

Lucy nodded with a smile, offering her hand in friendship.

"My name is Lucy. Thanks again for your assistance."

Curiously surprised by her actions, the man stared at her. Finally, he took her hand in his, wearing a flashy grin of his own.

"I'm called Natsu. Nice to meet ya, Lucy!"

"How _dare_ you!"

The pair turned to see the wizard from before, back on his feet and looking utterly appalled at Natsu. He pointed at him accusingly.

"How dare you address Lady Heartfilia in such a casual manner! Never fear, my dear lady, I will defend your honor!"

Lucy could only roll her eyes at the pathetic attempt for attention. "I introduced myself by my first name alone. What else would he call me?"

Natsu blinked in confusion, then leaned closer to Lucy. "Hey, what's this guy's deal?"

The girl sighed, feeling very exhausted. "He's trying to win my hand in marriage. I've refused him several times, but he won't quit."

"Oh…"

The pink-haired man nodded in understanding. Then, apparently deciding to take matters into his own hands, he faced the other wizard.

"Hey, buddy, she already said no! So back off and leave her alone!"

"Silence!"

In his rage, the wizard pulled out what appeared to be the handle of a torch. Lucy recognized it as a medium for fire magic!

"What do you think you're doing?! Stop it!"

Her cry went unnoticed as a blast of fire was launched towards Natsu! Without hesitation, he immediately pushed Lucy out of the way! She fell to the ground just as the flames enveloped his body!

"NATSU!" the heiress cried in horror.

What happened next left her dazed. His shadowed figure stood among the flames, but he did not burn. Soon the flames began to swirl inward, disappearing at the center. To her astonishment, Lucy noted that the flames were entering Natsu's mouth!

In seconds, the flames vanished completely, revealing the pink-haired man rubbing his lips with his arm. "Hoo, thanks for the grub! Tasted nasty, but now I've got a fire in my belly!"

' _He can EAT fire?!'_ Lucy mentally screamed.

The dumbfounded wizard was left trembling in fright as Natsu smirked triumphantly. All it took was one step forward to send the coward running for his life!

Lucy remained on the ground, completely bewildered. The man before her released a sigh before looking back at her. He was still smiling, yet the expression on his face was somewhat… sad.

The two were frozen, staring at each other in silence. After a moment, Natsu tilted his head.

"Wait a minute. Why aren't you running away?"

It was a fair question. In his experience, most humans would flee in fear whenever his powers were revealed. So why was this girl just sitting there? Was she so petrified that she couldn't move?

He decided it would be best to spare her and just walk away, but he was stopped when she shot up and grabbed him by the arm! She glanced around, first, and whispered in a small voice.

"Are you? Is it possible… are you a _dragon_?"

The man blinked in surprise. "Erm… Yeah. I am. How can you tell?"

He never got an answer. Instead, the girl pulled his arm, leading him into an ally, safely out of sight from any curious onlookers.

"Listen. Didn't you know we just faced a dragon attack?!" she hissed. "If someone else had figured you out, the entire town would be after you!"

Natsu scoffed in offense and freed himself from her grasp. "I could handle that, no problem!"

"And I bet you'd destroy the village while you're at it!"

She had him there. No doubt, there would be _some_ damage if he had to defend himself. Knowing this human had beaten him, he raised his hands in surrender.

"Okay, fine. No fighting," he sighed in defeat. "But tell me this: how do _you_ know about dragons?"

Lucy bit her lip, unsure whether or not she should share what she knew. The information was being kept secret for a reason!

' _On the other hand… he's a dragon, too.'_

"Alright, I'll tell you. But I want to know why you're here in Magnolia, first."

"I'm looking for another dragon," he readily replied.

"And the first place you look is in the _middle_ of a _village_?"

Natsu moved his mouth to say something, but no retort came out. He had none.

"It's common sense!" Lucy growled. "Why on earth would a fearsome dragon be casually wandering around in the middle of Magnolia?!"

Oh, the irony of the words she spoke.

"Well…erm… I was investigating! I'm only following the word on the street, and rumor has it his den is nearby."

His information was fairly accurate, but Lucy wasn't fully convinced. For all she knew, dragon or not, he could be like Jose and be out to attack Gajeel. It would be best to play it safe.

She raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Okay, so why are you looking for this dragon, anyway?"

"Hey!" Natsu snapped, "The deal was one question!"

"Well, I'm not sure I can trust you!" Lucy countered.

"I just saved your life from that stalker guy!"

"You said so yourself, you did not save me. If anything, you saved _him_ from _me_!"

"Geez, are all human females this stubborn?!"

"Just tell me why you're after Gajeel, already!"

Lucy gasped when she realized what she had let slip. She had been so careful, too! _'Levy's going to kill me…'_

Natsu was simply staring at her in surprise, completely forgetting about his anger and their dispute. "You… know Gajeel?"

Reluctantly, the heiress nodded as she bit her lip. "Yes. He's living as a human, now. I'm actually… well, I _think_ we're friends?"

Her uncertainty made the pink dragon laugh out loud. "Yeah, that sounds like him! It's hard to tell if he's actually your friend, right?"

Lucy smiled at the carefree laughter. Perhaps she was staring, but there was something about his smile that made it quite contagious.

"So, I guess I can properly introduce myself," Natsu announced as struck a dramatic pose. "I am Natsu Dragneel, holder of the title 'Igneel the fire dragon.'"

Lucy giggled at his theatrics and offered a playful curtsey. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

* * *

Deeming him as trustworthy, Lucy agreed to escort Natsu to the home of Gajeel Redfox. It was no surprise to him when she informed him of the location within the forest.

"That jerk always did prefer to be by himself."

The heiress tried to hide her smirk. This dragon had no clue that Gajeel had fallen hard for Levy McGarden, the apprentice to Magnolia's head mage, or that the two had already been married.

' _I suppose I'll keep that surprise to myself,'_ she giggled.

"Hey, what's so funny?" Natsu inquired.

"Oh, I was just imagining Gajeel's face when he realizes that another dragon found him."

That contagious grin returned to Natsu's face once again, though this expression was much more mischievous. "Oh, yeah, I bet he'll be pissed! I can't wait!"

Without warning, he grabbed Lucy's hand and started running toward the forest.

"Hey!" the poor girl cried. "Slow down! You don't even know where you're going!"

Natsu paid no mind to her protests and practically dragged her to the forest. Yet once they were barely within the trees, the idiot transformed into a red dragon! Before she even had the chance to protest, Lucy was caught in his claws as he took off! An ear-piercing scream rang through the forest!

"AHHHHHH! PUT ME DOWN! I MEAN IT! PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT! NATSUUUUUU!"

Wasn't he supposed to carry her on his back? Geez!

* * *

Thankfully, the trip wasn't long. It took a moment, but Natsu did manage to catch Gajeel's scent. At least, that's what Lucy assumed when his head jerked and he abruptly dove to the ground, prompting her to scream again!

Lucy could have kissed the ground the moment her feet touched the earth, but there was no time. In seconds, Natsu was human again, charging towards the Redfox home. Gajeel was outside, apparently hauling some firewood to the house. What he did not expect was an energetic Natsu pouncing at him!

Lucy had been expecting an embrace or tackling him to the ground, not an all out attack! But low and behold, Natsu moved to kick Gajeel in the head! In the nick of time, the iron man dropped the wood and successfully blocked the blow, pushing Natsu back. He moved into a defensive stance, but blinked when he realized just who his attacker was.

"Huh? Salamander? What the hell are you doin' here?"

' _Salamander?'_ Lucy questioned. Well, that nickname seemed to suit his pink hair. But salamanders are amphibians, while dragons are more related to reptiles…

' _Ah, I guess he's referring to the_ _ **legendary**_ _salamander. That being is known to live and breathe in fire. Now that makes sense…'_

Lucy was so caught up in her musing, she nearly missed Natsu continuing a relentless attack against the iron man!

"Is that any way to greet a fellow dragon, you metal jerk?! You should be happy to see me!"

"Why would I be happy to see a flame-brain moron barge into my home?!"

"Who are you calling a moron, you moron?!"

"You, ya moron!"

"Hey, you did it again!"

Lucy slumped helplessly at the pitiful banter between the two. Just what was their relationship?

"Um… Lulu?"

The blonde turned to see Levy cautiously stepping out of the house. Her chocolate eyes gazed quizzically at the cloud of dust where the two had been standing.

"Do you mind explaining what's going on?"

Sighing, Lucy offered an apologetic smile. "The guy with the pink hair is Natsu Dragneel. I bumped into him in town today. He says he's Igneel the fire dragon. Apparently, he knows Gajeel."

"Igneel?"

Levy held her chin as she tried to recollect what she knew about that name. She had indeed come across it during her studies: Igneel was supposedly one of the most powerful dragons along with Metalicana.

"That must mean they have known each other for a while…"

"Eheheh!" the heiress laughed awkwardly. "Judging by the way those two fight, I guess you could say that."

The girls laughed together, catching the attention of the brawling men. Both blinked in surprise, frozen in their attacking stances.

Then, the fire dragon suddenly jerked as something caught his attention. He stared at Levy intently.

"Hey, wait a sec. What's up with your scent?"

In a flash, he was well within Levy's personal space, successfully annoying Gajeel and horrifying Lucy. The poor bluenette squirmed awkwardly as Natsu continued to take in her scent, sniffing over her.

"OI!" the iron dragon shouted, "Back off, Salamander!"

Something seemed to click in Natsu's mind, and with a jolt, he whirled around.

"No way! Gajeel, is this human your _mate_?!"

When the Salamander easily named their relationship so bluntly, Gajeel was unable to hold back his blush. But there it was, bright red on his face as he tried to look away. That was enough for Natsu to confirm his claim. He looked between the two over and over, hardly believing what he was seeing.

"Whoa!" he finally proclaimed, "Who would've thought that steel-hearted bastard would actually score?!"

"What did you say, lizard boy?!" Gajeel growled ferociously.

Natsu smirked. "I said, 'I can't believe you got a _female_ to _like_ you,' bolt-head!"

And thus the brawl rekindled, leaving the women to stand in awe at the sheer stupidity of their insults. Levy was too startled and embarrassed to do anything, while Lucy decided it would be best to leave them be.

"I have a feeling this is normal for them…"

The two men continued to fight in a fresh cloud of dust, and it seemed that there would be no end to it. Having just about enough of this nonsense, Levy came back to her senses. With a flick of her fingers, she quickly wrote the word "WATER" over the dragon's heads. Once the word materialized, a small waterfall fell upon them, halting their movements in pure shock! Even Lucy was surprised by her friend's actions! Since when had she gotten so assertive?!

"Alright, I think you've done enough fighting," Levy stated. "Why don't we get down to business and discuss why Natsu is here?"

The fire dragon blinked. "Oh, yeah. I came here for an important reason."

"Then why didn't ya say so _before_ attackin' me?!" Gajeel snarled.

"But it's been so long since we've seen each other!"

"Not long enough, if ya ask me!"

With a dark expression on her face, Levy held up her fingers, threatening to write again. It was enough to scare the men into submission, and they sat upright and apologized.

"Man, Gajeel," Natsu whispered. "Where'd you find this chick?"

"Shut up," Gajeel hissed. "Besides, _she_ found _me_."

* * *

Lucy suggested talking inside, which Levy agreed to. They moved to the main room of the house, sitting around a table with the tea that Levy quickly prepared, being the proper hostess.

There, Natsu explained his story. Rumors of Magnolia's attack had been travelling rather far, and they had reached his ears.

"But I knew there was no way Gajeel would attack a harmless village for no reason! He may be an iron-headed jerk, but he's not evil! I had to see for myself what really went down, so I made the trip to hear your side of the story."

And he did. Levy relayed how Gajeel had saved her in the forest, and how she kept coming back to see him. Most importantly, she told Natsu about Jose.

"I think he was just trying to prove his strength or something. Whatever his reasons, he attempted to control a dragon with dark magic…"

All were silent after that. Natsu gazed sympathetically at his old friend.

"Man, that must have been rough."

Gajeel grunted, trying to brush it off as nothing. "Whatever. That sicko failed, though. These girls made sure of that."

The iron dragon took over the story, recalling everything that Levy did to protect everyone. She had informed him that Lucy had also played a part in it, protecting children with her own body and researching for Levy in her desperate hour.

"Wow!" Natsu declared, beaming at Lucy. "That's really impressive! I knew you were strong the moment I met you, but this is amazing!"

Lucy had never thought of her role as that important, so naturally, his praise was unexpected. It brought a warm blush to her cheeks.

"I-it was nothing special."

The fire dragon shook his head. "No, I mean it. Not every human has the guts to stay and take on a dragon! Both of you stayed to help a friend, and I think that's really awesome! I'm glad everything worked out!"

He turned to face Levy, the smile still just as wide. "And I _really_ never dreamed of meeting Metalicana's pregnant mate!"

Everyone in the room froze, minus the oblivious Natsu. Lucy trembled in shock. "W-wait. Did he just say… _p-pregnant_?!"

Levy fidgeted in her seat, nodding slowly. "I, uh, just found out myself, so… I haven't gotten a chance to tell you, Lulu…"

The bookworm had thought her friend would be mad. Instead, she received a tearful embrace as the girl shouted her congratulations. Gajeel, who had been sitting next to Levy, tensed in horror when his mate had been pounced on. What about the baby?!

From the other side of the scene, Natsu was holding his belly in laughther. "Haha! Sorry about that! I just thought it was obvious!"

Levy smiled as Lucy released her. "Apparently, it is to _dragons_. Gajeel figured it out before I did, too. Let me tell you, it was surprising when he started crying and hugging me for no apparent reason!"

"Oi, I wasn't crying!" Gajeel instinctively denied.

His knowing wife just laughed. "Sure, sure, you weren't crying. You were just so happy while I was completely clueless. I didn't even believe Gajeel at first, but after checking with Porlyusica, it's true."

The glowing girl beamed excitedly. "I guess I'm pregnant!"

* * *

The happy visit lasted for the rest of the day. Lucy kept talking to Levy about the coming child, while Natsu and Gajeel caught up a bit. It had been years since they last saw each other, after all.

"Now, look, Salamander," Gajeel suddenly began, "we don't know if there are other wizards like Jose. Best keep yer guard up for the time bein'."

Natsu only smirked at the warning. "Don't worry about me. I'll be protected by another dragon _and_ two awesome humans!"

The other three blinked in surprise as Natsu grinned. "I plan on sticking around here! This place is great! Besides, I want to be a proper uncle for nut-brain's dragonets!"

Gajeel jumped up to protest, with Levy desperately attempting to hold him back.

"It's his choice, Gajeel!"

Lucy gaped, though she somehow didn't mind the idea of Natsu sticking around.

"I… I see. So, where do you plan on staying, then?"

The pink-haired man smiled at the blonde heiress.

"I think I'll stay with you, Lucy!"

The woman's jaw dropped in appalled shock. Completely disregarding her upbringing, she smacked him out of his seat!

"What makes you think that's a good idea?!"

Natsu grumbled as he rubbed his new injury. "Nothing, really. I just think you're a nice person."

"That doesn't mean you can stay at a single woman's home, Natsu! That's completely indecent!"

"Eh? Why's that?"

As Lucy harshly explained the proper etiquette of the situation, Levy watched with suspicion. She knew her best friend always tried to maintain the air of a proper lady. However, when she was around Natsu, she was acting more like herself without realizing it.

The bluenette grinned knowingly as her husband spared her a curious glance. Perhaps there was another reason for Natsu's decision to stay.

Levy couldn't wait to see what the future held for those two.


End file.
